Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

This story starts at the old Kettle Cottage. Three smiling flowers can be seen dancing next to the house’s window. Elder Kettle’s silhouette can be seen through the window.

Elder Kettle, a large living kettle, poured pancake mix into a grill, the batter made a sizzling noise before he flipped the ready pancakes and threw them behind him.

Cuphead was reading a comic book called “Adventure Comix”.

Cuphead, as the name suggests, has a cup for a head with a red and white striped straw. He has large eyes with black pie-cut pupils and a small red nose.

Mugman, Cuphead’s brother, has a mug for a head, but he has a blue and white striped straw. He has smaller, thinner eyes and a large blue nose.

They both wore black, long-sleeved shirts, yellow gloves, brown shoes, and shorts that matched their colors.

Cuphead used his left leg to kick the plate next to him, then he grabbed it and caught the pancakes Kettle threw before. Cuphead put away the comic he was reading and licked his lips seeing the pancakes.

Mugman raised his plate high, but he missed his pancakes, and they hit the wall before falling onto the floor. Mugman sighed sadly.

Cuphead was about to put syrup on his pancakes before he cut his stack in half, plate included, and gave one half of it to Mugman. Then he put syrup on his pancakes.

Mugman perked up when he saw the pancakes.

The cup gave his brother the syrup bottle, and the mug tried to put some on his pancakes, but the bottle was empty.

The mug, annoyed, saw Cuphead’s pancakes completely covered in syrup.

Cuphead stabbed his pancakes with a fork and ate the whole thing in one gulp.

“Cuphead! Mugman!” Kettle said.

“Yes, Elder Kettle?” the boys said at the same time.

“Today, you two are in for a real treat!”

“Really?!” the boys asked with a mix of surprise and excitement.

“You get to... paint the fence!” Kettle said before he brought out two paint buckets.

Cuphead and Mugman’s enthusiasm quickly faded, and they frowned.

Moments Later...

The brothers were outside painting the fence.

Cuphead groaned.

“Jeez... I guess we know what we’re doing the rest of the day, huh?” Mugman said.

“Oh, banana oil!” Cuphead exclaimed. “Paint the fence, milk the goat, patch the roof...! It’s the same old stuff every day! What we need is a little fun and adventure.”

“If we could only speed things up, maybe we’d still have time to squeeze in a little fun and adventure at the end.”

“Way ahead of you, pal.”

Cuphead somehow got a cannon and poured paint into it. He lit the fuse, pointed the cannon to the fence, and covered his ears.

Mugman screamed and jumped out of the way.

Suddenly, Elder Kettle walked towards the fence.

“Hey, boys!” Kettle said as he opened the fence door. “How’s that fen—”

The paint from the cannon exploded all over Elder Kettle and the fence. A stunned Kettle stood there covered in paint and the fence was destroyed.

A couple of minutes later, Cuphead and Mugman were walking on the dirt road.

“Boy, was he steamed,” Mugman said.

“Eh. I ain’t too worried about it.” Cuphead said. “You know, that should have worked. If only I used a little less gunpowder... Hmm... Oh, well!” he shrugged.

Cuphead and Mugman reached the door of Porkrind’s emporium.

“Eh... let’s just focus on getting more paint. And try not to get distracted.” Mugman said.

Suddenly, Cuphead pulled the mug back.

“Mugman! Look!” the cup said.

From a distance, there was a carnival, bustling with rides and people.

“Um, Cuphead, I’m not so sure...” Mugman said.

“You know what I do when I’m not so sure? I double down!” Cuphead said.

“What does that even mean?”

“It means we’re going to that carnival!”

“Absolutely not! There’s no way we’re go...”

Cuphead and Mugman wentto the carnival and had fun. Riding carnival rides, eating snacks, and then barfing said snacks. They were eating popcorn when Mugman spotted a poster listing the entertainment. There were a variety of things, from bands and performers.

“Ooh, there’s gonna be a show in a minute, let’s go watch,” Mugman suggested.

“Eh... aren’t carny shows just a bunch of has-bean performers who can’t make it big?” Cuphead shrugged.

Mugman gasped. “Cuphead! These people may be on smaller stages, but they are still people with talents that they want to share. Besides they’d have to be good to get on stage anyway. C’mon, let’s check out the next show.”

Cuphead rolled his eyes as Mugman dragged him to the show. It’s a small setting; a stage with a large curtain and a few seats facing the stage. They each took a seat with a few other people.

“So, whose performing anyway?” Cuphead asked as he ate more popcorn.

“The list said it would be a dancing cat. I think it said his name was...?” Mugman said as he tried to remember.

Just then a black cat stepped onto the stage and the crowd quieted down.

“Hey everybody, hope you’re enjoying the carnival?” The small cat said.

The audience clapped and cheered.

“Alright alright,” the cat said. “Well, time for the main event. He’s a newcomer in the music biz and his dance will make you cheer. Give it up for the musical stylings of... Bendy, The Dancing Cat!”

The people clapped as the cat backed away and a band of black cats started playing their instruments, playing ‘Let’s Misbehave’.

“A dancing cat?” Cuphead said indifferently. “That’s original...” he rolled his eyes.

Mugman looked at his brother with disapproval and shushed him.

Just then the curtains part, revealing a black cat tap dancing his way to the mic.

“Hello, Inkwell!” Bendy called out. He had blackish-blue fur all over his body, two pointy tips on his head that looked like ears, a long furry tail, a wide toothy smile, a small flat black cat nose, and yellow eyes with red pupils. He was wearing yellow gloves and bow tie, and black shoes that matched his fur color perfectly.

Everyone clapped except for Cuphead... but this time he was staring wide-eyed at Bendy. His mouth went slightly agape as the cat started singing.

“We’re all alone, no chaperone

Can get our number

The world’s in slumber

Let’s misbehave~!

There’s something wild about you child

That’s so contagious.

Let’s be outrageous!

Let’s misbehave!

When Adam won Eve’s hand

He wouldn’t stand for teasin’

He didn’t care about those apples out of season

They say the Spring

Means just one thing to little lovebirds.

We’re not above birds

Let’s misbehave! ~”

Bendy started dancing and the crowd loved it.

Meanwhile, Cuphead was still unmoving, but he suddenly blushed when Bendy flashed a smile at him. The cup ducked his face behind the box of popcorn, feeling slightly embarrassed for some reason, before he lifted his head, and watched the kitten continue to dance and sing.

“It’s getting late and while I wait

My poor heart aches on

Why keep the breaks on?

Let’s misbehave!!!

I like to sing and dance

On and off stages

While the world ages

Let’s misbehave!!!

You know my heart is true

And you say you for me care...

Somebody’s sure to tell,

But what the heck, do we care?

They say that bears have love affairs

And even camels

We’re men and mammals--let’s misbehave!!!~”

At the end of the song, the crowd cheered, Cuphead started clapping, and Bendy waved at the audience.

“Thank you! Thank you, everyone, have a good day,” The cat said as he exited the stage, and the band followed.

Cuphead was still clapping as the crowd departed and Mugman gave him a sly smile.

“Looks like you enjoyed the show after all?” Mugman remarked smugly.

“Huh? Oh... yeah- well, I’ll admit he was pretty good.” Cuphead said before he followed his brother out of the showroom.

A while later, the cups just departed from the roller coaster and laughed.

“I’ve gotta hand it to you, Cuphead. This has been great!” Mugman said. “And we still have time to get supplies and fix the fen... Cuphead?”

Cuphead seemed drawn to a game called Soul Ball. He then saw a certain cat playing the game.

“Winner!” the game cried out.

“Yes,” Bendy said.

Cuphead looked nervous for a second before he took a breath. “Don’t worry about it,” he whispered to himself as he slowly approached Bendy. The cat made another win. “You’re-... You’re good at this,” the cup said.

“I’m not just good, I’m the best,” Bendy said not taking his eyes off the game. “Never lost to anyone either,”

“Never?”

“Never,”

“Well, I bet I can take ya’,”

Bendy paused and finally turned to face Cuphead. His eyes scanned the cup from straw to toe. He suppressed a laugh.

“Okay, give it your best shot,” Bendy said before he tossed a skeeball to Cuphead.

Cuphead rolled the ball and got it into the winning hole.

“Winner!” the machine called out.

Cuphead laughed victoriously before he rolled another ball into the hole.

“Winner!”

Cuphead bounced the ball and he won.

“Winner!”

Bendy looked surprised but then he shook his head. “That’s your best? Check this out,” He said. He rolled the skeeball along his arm before it bounced off his hand and landed in the hole.

“Winner!”

“That was just a warmup, I’ll show you who’s the best,” Cuphead said before he pulled up his pants and threw the ball from under his leg into the hole.

“Winner!”

Cuphead and Bendy started doing random tricks and moved to win the skeeball and the machine continued to say “Winner!” every time. This quickly attracted a crowd, and the people applauded the two boys for their wins.

Meanwhile, Mugman watched the match until his gaze drifted to the Telephone playing another ‘Soul Ball’ skeeball game. Telephone lost and, after a lightbulb flashed red, the machine sucked the Telephone’s soul out from his body and into the winning hole. Telephone became grey and listless.

Mugman read the name of the game, “Soul Ball,” he then noticed that other carnival inhabits also looked grey and listless. Then Mugman looked at the entrance sign. “Carnival.”

The lights for the letters C, A, R, and N suddenly lost power.

“Carn-Evil. EVIL!?!” Mugman gasped before he spoke to his brother in a hushed voice. “Cuphead?”

“Not now, Mugsy! I’m on a hot streak.” Cuphead replied.

Little did Inkwell Isle residents know that deep under the carnival, the Devil himself happily watched people’s souls being sucked into the Soul Vault in the Underworld.

The Devil chuckled sinisterly. “Everyone loves a carnival.” He said. “What a haul.” The big devil then started singing.

“Whoa! In case you ain’t heard, I’m the Devil.

I’m real low down, not on the level. They call me Old Scratch, Mr. S, the Big D. I’m the king of the underworld. Yeah, it’s great to be me.

Ho-di-llie doh-di-llie doh-di-llie doh. ~”

“Ho-di-llie doh-di-llie doh-di-llie doh. ~” Demons sing.

“Hee-di-llie hee-di-llie hee-di-llie hee! ~” The Devil sings.

“Hee-di-llie hee-di-llie hee-di-llie hee. ~” Souls sing.

“I’m a real naughty boy, I’m sure you’ll agree. I get my kicks playing tricks on the locals. They’re easy marks, they’re real dumb yokels. But now folks, listen closely, it’s time I made a confession. Collecting people’s souls is my greatest obsession! ~”

The Devil laughed evilly before he started dancing.

“Uh, hey, boss,” Henchman said trying to gain his boss’s attention.

The Devil kept dancing.

“Boss! Hey, boss!”

The Devil stopped dancing, “What?! I was singing!” he shouted.

“The... the soul counter stopped,” Henchman replied.

The big devil looked up and saw that the Soul Counter had indeed stopped. He pounded his fist against it, but it stayed frozen in place. He then turned his attention to the pipes, and, to his surprise, no more souls were coming down.

“What the...?” The Devil said in shock.

The big devil pulled down his periscope to see what was going on in the carnival. At first, he didn’t see anyone but then he turned it and saw a crowd around a Soul Ball machine. But before he could see who was playing, someone stepped in front of the periscope lens. He couldn’t see anything, but he could hear the game voiceover shout “Winner” four more times followed by the crowd cheering.

“Terrific.” The Devil said annoyed. “Looks like we have a real showoff!” He took his pitchfork and teleported away.

Back at the carnival, Cuphead and Bendy were still playing while onlookers cheered them on. Some even started taking bets.

“Ten bucks on the cup winning!” Said a Walrus.

“I bet twenty on the kitten!” Said the old lady elephant.

Bendy grabbed the ball and was about to throw it when he suddenly felt the hairs on the back of his head stand up and a chill ran up his back. He froze before he dropped the ball on the ground.

“Time out!” Bendy said, “I’ll be right back.” And he suddenly ran away before anyone could respond.

Mugman was still on edge. “Cuphead, maybe you should quit now, and we get outta here.” He said nervously.

“No way Mugsy, it’s double down or nothin’,” Cuphead said.

“But Bendy ran off.”

“Yeah, but no harm in getting a little more practice in,” Cuphead said before he threw the ball, it bounced off the machine and The Elephant’s bottom before it went into the winner’s hole.

The crowd of people cheered.

“Thank you!” Cuphead said as he waved to the crowd.

Suddenly, the sky grew dark, a boom of thunder was heard, and The Devil appeared in a puff of smoke. He just stood there while checking his nails.

“The Devil!” The Elephant screamed before fleeing.

Everyone else followed The Elephant’s example and ran away screaming.

“My fans. They love me.” The big devil said before he walked up behind Cuphead and Mugman.

Mugman noticed a shadow looming over him, turned around, and looked up to see The Devil smiling down at him wickedly.

“Hello ~.” The Devil said.

Mugman stuttered before reaching back to his brother. “C-Cup... Cuphead!” he stuttered as he patted Cuphead’s head. Once... Twice.

“Watch it!” Cuphead shouted. He stumbled with the ball, and it accidentally landed in the loser’s hole.

“LOSER!”

“Aw, heck,” Cuphead said annoyed and angry. “Now look at what you made me do!”

Mugman pointed upward and Cuphead stuttered at the sight of the demon king.

“And that’s game.” The Devil said in a sing-song tone.

The machine then sucked Cuphead’s soul into the winner’s hole, but Mugman jumped onto the machine, pulled out Cuphead’s soul, and patted it back into the cup’s chest.

Cuphead took a deep breath, “Run!” he cried out.

Both Cuphead and Mugman run past the big devil.

“Ooh, I love it when they run.” The Devil said with a grin. He laughed as he levitated and pursued after the two boys.

The brothers cried and held each other in a hug as they ran.

“I’m sorry I made you miss! This is all my fault!” Mugman cried out.

“We should’ve never come here in the first place! It’s all my fault!” Cuphead cried out.

“You’re right! It is your fault!” Mugman agreed.

The two boys screamed as the big devil started shooting fireballs from his pitchfork before they hopped onto a rollercoaster.

“I think we lost him,” Cuphead said.

“Surprise!” Came The Devil’s voice.

Cuphead and Mugman turned their heads and saw the Devil on the rollercoaster as well. He shot another fireball, but Cuphead and Mugman managed to escape the rollercoaster just in time. The two boys then landed on a carousel horse, before the Devil turned it into a demonic horse skeleton, and it broke free from the carousel.

Both brothers get launched off and hide behind two cardboard cutouts before taking a picture. After the camera flash, they resumed running away just before the cutouts were destroyed and the Devil still chased after them.

Meanwhile, Bendy was watching the events from behind one of the stalls that wasn’t on fire. “Oh well, so much for them.” He said before he took a bite of a hot dog.

Cuphead and Mugman entered a funhouse, The Devil then transformed the funhouse into a horror house. The cups ran through the house, which now had a bunch of eye-watching hallways, spike slides, sideways buzzsaw corridors, a mirror room, in which the boys’ reflections transformed into the Devil, and finally, an exit tunnel with many metal teeth that tried to bite them. The two then landed on a mattress before they ran away.

The Devil blew up the funhouse and transformed into a dragon. He flew, opened his mouth, and shot fireballs at the two cups.

Suddenly, Mugman got an idea. “Come on, Cuphead! It’s time for a double down!” he grabbed Cuphead by the handle and ran in another direction.

“What are you, nuts?!” Cuphead shouted.

Bendy cautiously moved to another stall to see where the brothers were going.

“Now pretend like we’re cornered!” Mugman said after he and the cup stopped running.

“We ARE cornered!” Cuphead whined.

The big devil laughed wickedly, cocked his pitchfork, and fired a fireball at the two cups.

“Jump!” Mugman shouted.

Mugman jumped and pushed Cuphead away.

The fireball missed the boys and hit the Soul Ball machine instead, destroying it. The Devil and Bendy go into shock as dozens of souls fly out of the destroyed remains of the game and back into their respective bodies.

“No!” The Devil cried out.

Bendy snapped out of his shock and ran away as the stall he was hiding in caught on fire.

Telephone got his soul back. “Yay!” he cheered.

Several other carnival patrons also got their souls back, causing the Devil to facepalm several times, burst into flames, and he spotted Cuphead and Mugman fleeing from the carnival.

“You don’t just get to run away!” The Devil yelled. Meanwhile, the roller coaster collapsed as Henchman flew to the big devil.

“Wow, boss. I never saw you let no one escape before.” Henchman said.

“He didn’t escape!” The Devil shouted, “He played the game. He lost. His soul belongs to me. I’ll get that cup...”

“Head?”

The Devil smacked Henchman on the head with his pitchfork. “Oh, shut up.” He snapped.

“Ow!” came Bendy’s voice. He rolled out of a burning stall, turned his head, and saw The Devil and Henchman looking down at him. Bendy gave an awkward smile before trying to run but the demon king grabbed him by the tail and pulled him back.

Back at the Kettle Cottage an hour later, Cuphead sloppily fixed the fence.

“What an amazing day. We rode rides.” Cuphead said.

“And you owe the Devil your soul,” Mugman replied.

“We played games.”

“And you owe the Devil your soul.”

“We’re even almost finished with this dumb fence!”

“And you owe the Devil your soul!”

“Eh. I ain’t too worried about it.” Cuphead said as he poured paint into the cannon and lit the fuse.

Elder Kettle walked up to the fence door, “Hey, boys, how’s-” The cannon exploded all over Kettle and the fence.

“Still too much gunpowder,” Cuphead said.

“And you still owe the Devil your soul,” Mugman said.

Meanwhile, in the Underworld...

The Devil had Bendy held up in a telekinetic hold with his pitchfork and the kitten was struggling midair.

“Let me go! Let me go!” Bendy shouted.

“Struggling is futile, little pest,” The Devil said. “In you go,”

Bendy protested but he was quickly plunged...

Into a bathtub. The kitten reemerged, gasped for air, and shivered.

“It’s freezing!” Bendy said through chattering teeth.

“It was warmer half an hour ago. But you wouldn’t know that since you were busy... sneaking out! Again!” The Devil replied. “Now, hand it all over,” he held his hand out.

Bendy gave an annoyed look before he removed his bowtie and gloves and gave them to the big devil. Bendy’s hands looked identical to The Devil’s but smaller. He pulled off the black sock off his real tail which was a pointy demon tail.

Henchman splashed a bucket of water over the kitten. As the water ran down his face, the little black nose melted, and Bendy wiped it all away with his hand.

“Scrub off the soot in his fur.” The Devil said to Henchman.

The purple demon was about to do as ordered but Bendy grabbed the brush.

“I can scrub myself, thank you,” Bendy said before he scrubbed himself.

“So, Bendall Devil,” The Devil said. “Care to explain what you were doing up there?”

“Just having a little fun.” Bendy shrugged. “I ain’t hurt,”

“We both know that’s not the point.” The big devil said. “You went up there without my permission and that is not okay, because why?”

Bendy rolled his eyes. “Because I’m still grounded for getting gum in your fur...” he said annoyed.

“And...”

“And the surface world is dangerous for a little devil.”

“That’s right,” The Devil said. “Henchman don’t let him out of that tub until he is clean. We’ll be having hamburgers for dinner tonight,”

Bendy’s eyes lit up. “Hamburgers,” he whispered with glee and clapped excitedly. Just as the Devil started walking away, “By the way, I saw what happened with those cup kids. Are you just gonna let them get away?”

The Devil groaned. “Of course not. No matter how far he goes, that little cup can’t escape his debt to me. I’ll get his soul soon enough, son.”

Bendy smiled, “Okay Dad, whatever you say,” he said.

Chapter Text

Many Years Ago...

The Devil was sleeping in his large bed when the silence was broken by a high-pitched whining. The big devil groaned for a second before he threw the covers off, took off his sleep mask, and got closer to a crib next to his bed.

“Okay, okay, I got you, Bendall, I’m here,” The Devil said before he picked up the demon baby and rocked him in his arms. He picked up a bottle and fed the baby.

It’s almost funny. If you had told the king of hell six months ago that he would be a father, he would have laughed and then blasted you to ashes with his pitchfork. And yet here he was, bottle-feeding his baby demon boy in the middle of the night.

When the bottle was empty, The Devil patted baby Bendall’s back until he burped. Then the big devil hummed a lullaby and rocked the infant back to sleep.

“Good night, my little monster,” The Devil whispered.

Present Day...

Bendy woke up in his bed in his bedroom. He had a king-size bed with yellow blankets and pillows. There’s a drawing table next to his bed with a few sketches of himself, The Devil, Henchman, and other things.

“Today’s the day, Boris,” Bendy said looking at his wolf doll. It had black fur and a large stitching over the chest. It was also wearing dirty yellow overalls. “Today I go back out into the world.”

He put on one shoe and then it’s mate and jumped off the bed to get ready for the day. After he put on his gloves and bow tie, he ran to the throne room where his father often works. Sure enough, The Devil was sitting on his throne and Bendy went to the armrest.

“Hi Dad,” Bendy said.

“Hello Bendall,” The Devil greeted. “So, what do you plan on doing today?”

“Dad, can I go back out-?”

“No, you cannot,” The Devil interjected. “You snuck out and I don’t think you should be off the hook yet.”

“But Dad, it’s been sooooo long since I’ve been to the surface world on my own and I already said I was sorry a bunch of times. No one will know I’m a demon while I’m up there. That’s why I have the disguise.” Bendy pleaded. “Please let me go out. Please...”

The Devil pinched the bridge of his brow. “Fine, you can go. But if anything happens-”

“I know I know; I’ll run away and use the escape route back to the Underworld. I promise. Now may I go,”

“You may,” the big devil said before he waved Bendy off and the little devil ran for it. “And son!”

Bendy skid to a stop. “Yes, Dad?” he said.

“Raise a little hell while you’re up there for me,” The Devil said with a devilish smile.

“Don’t worry, I will,” Bendy said before he stepped into the elevator.

As Bendy rode the elevator, he thought back to the cup boys who escaped from The Devil’s carnival. The little devil had been thinking a lot about those two since then. He hadn’t been this fascinated with any mortal like this in years. Bendy wanted to see Cuphead and Mugman again... and maybe have some fun.

At the Kettle Cottage...

“Well, it’s that time again, boys.” Elder Kettle said while he fed the fish. “I’m off to my weekly mustache wax. Now, remember. Three rules while I’m gone. Number one. Don’t touch my radio. It is my most prized object. Number two. Don’t let strangers in the house. I don’t want a repeat of the “handyman incident” ... Cuphead. And of course, rule number three, no fighting!”

The kettle left the cottage and closed the door, only to open it again and glared at the boys before he shut the door again.

Alone in the cottage, Cuphead and Mugman stood and glanced at each other for a second before they spontaneously started fighting. The fight cloud bumped against the walls, the chairs, and the piano. They almost hit the radio but carefully walked around it before they resumed their fight. Then they paused after they bumped against the door.

“Hold it!” Mugman suddenly shouted, “Say Cuphead, why are we fighting again?”

“Uh, ‘cause we’re not supposed to?” Cuphead answered.

“Right!” Mugman said before he punched Cuphead.

The two boys broke into a fight cloud again.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The brothers stopped fighting and opened the door.

“Back so soon, dearest Kettle?” Both cups said while trying to look innocent.

They were greeted with a chuckle and a “Whose Kettle?”

The cups then noticed who was standing on the doormat. A familiar wide-smiling black kitten.

“Bendy?” Both cups said.

“What are you doing here?” Cuphead said smiling.

“Well since the carnival is gone, I thought I’d go see you guys at your place,” Bendy explained.

“But how did you even know where we lived?” Mugman wondered. “We didn’t tell you about the cottage,”

“Sure, you did.” Bendy lied. “How else could I have found you? Stalked you with a magic mirror until I tracked down your cottage?” the kitten laughed.

Cuphead laughed too but Mugman seemed disturbed.

“So, can I come in or...?” Bendy asked.

“Yes/No,” The brothers say at the same time. Both glared at each other. “Yes/No!”

“One sec,” Cuphead said before he shut the door.

Bendy couldn’t make out everything said behind the door, but he could tell that Mugman seemed against letting the kitten in while Cuphead argued that Bendy wasn’t a stranger. A few moments later, the cup opened the door.

“Come on in,” Cuphead said.

Bendy smiled and walked inside the cottage. “So what’cha fellas up to?” he asked.

“This,” Cuphead said before he punched Mugman in the face.

The cups suddenly broke into another fight cloud and Bendy backed away in surprise.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The cups opened the door together. They didn’t see anyone at first then they looked down and saw a baby basket with a note.

“Please take care of baby.” The boys read.

Bendy joined them at the door and all three boys noticed the living baby bottle in the basket. The baby giggled.

“Aw!” The cups cooed while the kitten seemed confused.

“Where did that come from?” Bendy wondered.

“How could someone leave something so precious?” Mugman said before he picked up Baby Bottle and carried him inside.

“Uh, Mugman?” Cuphead said. “What are we supposed to do with a baby?”

Bendy closed the door. “Can we scare it?” he asked.

Mugman gasped before he placed the baby on the floor and sat next to him. “No, what an awful thing to suggest. We show it love. Just watch and learn. Hello, baby. My name is Mugman. Can you say Mu...”

“Mama.” Baby Bottle said.

Mugman squealed with joy. “That’s right, baby! That’s exactly right!” he said before he booped the baby’s nose.

“Well, then, I guess that makes me Dada, doesn’t it?” Cuphead said.

“And I’ll be the monster under the bed,” Bendy said.

Cuphead took the baby into his hands. Baby Bottle started wailing and Cuphead, in a panic, started screaming, while the baby kept wailing.

“Mugman, why’s it crying?” Cuphead yelled while he ran in circles.

“You need to burp him, Cuphead!” Mugman replied.

Cuphead patted the baby’s back, but it kept crying. “I don’t think it’s working.” He said.

“Maybe he needs his diaper changed?” Mugman suggested. The boys flinched.

Bendy rolled his eyes and sighed. “I got it,” he took Baby Bottle from Cuphead. He patted the baby’s back while rocking it. “I know, I know, that’s not really your ‘Dada’, that’s just a silly screaming cup boy.” He said softly.

The baby burped and giggled. Cuphead gave an annoyed expression on his face while Mugman snickered.

“Nicely done, Bendy,” Mugman said.

“Thanks,” Bendy said.

“Maybe you should be Dada,” Mugman said.

“No thank you,” Bendy said.

“Aw, feeling better now?” Cuphead said. He booped the baby’s nose. The baby bit his finger and Cuphead yowled with pain. “Did you see that?! That thing bit me!”

Mugman gasped. “Cuphead! Baby is not a “thing.” Baby is a baby.”

Bendy sat on the couch with Baby Bottle on his lap and Cuphead sat next to him.

“I think you two need to learn to get along while I prepare some baby food.” Mugman patted Baby’s and Cuphead’s heads before he went into the kitchen. “And now, remember! All baby needs is love!”

“Is he always like this?” Bendy asked.

“Yeah,” Cuphead said. “So where did you go after the carnival burned down?”

“Oh... I went back home for a while. My dad was kinda mad at me,” Bendy answered.

“Why?”

“I went to the carnival without his permission,”

“Oh, that old excuse,”

Just then a stream of milk flew onto Cuphead’s face. “Hey what gives Bendy?” he shouted.

“I didn’t do that,” Bendy argued.

Baby Bottle giggled before shooting more milk at Cuphead.

“Now, baby,” Bendy said. “you know it’s not polite to... Whoa!”

The baby shot more milk at Cuphead until he backed up into the shelf and nearly broke the pottery, but the cup quickly caught them before they smashed.

Bendy watched Cuphead before he noticed the baby had disappeared from his lap.

“Where’d it go?” Bendy wondered.

Baby Bottle crawled into the closet and the door closed behind him. Bendy and Cuphead ran after it but as soon as they opened the door, a pile of junk fell on them. The baby soon crawled rampantly as the cup and kitten tried and failed to catch it.

“Baby!” Cuphead exclaimed.

Mugman heard the ruckus but simply smiled, “I just knew they’d get along.” He said as he grabbed the butter.

“Bad baby! Bad... Baby?” Cuphead said but the baby vanished again.

“Look,” Bendy said as he pointed above the piano.

Baby Bottle was on the piano and it slowly pushed the fishbowl closer to the edge.

“Mama?” Baby said.

“Don’t do it,” Cuphead said.

“Just leave the fish alone,” Bendy said.

The baby didn’t listen as it kept slowly pushing the fishbowl.

“Easy... Easy...” Cuphead said... but Baby Bottle pushed the fishbowl off the piano and it shattered on the floor.

“Oh, come on!” Cuphead and Bendy said at the same time.

The cup picked up the fish and dropped it in his milk.

Mugman walked into the room. “Cuphead!” he gasped. “Glass on the floor?! Baby could get hurt!”

“It’s baby’s fault for breaking the fishbowl!” Cuphead argued.

“It’s true Mugman, the baby did it!” Bendy said.

“You two were supposed to be watching baby!” Mugman said.

“That baby is not a normal-... Wait. Where’s baby?” Cuphead wondered.

The boys looked up and realized the baby was gone. They saw the front door was open and ran outside.

“Where’d it go?!” Cuphead said.

“How should I know?!” Mugman replied.

There came a razzberry sound and the boys turned around and saw Baby Bottle was in the cottage by the door.

“There you are,” Mugman said.

Then the baby closed the door and locked it. The cups and kitten tried to open the door with no success.

“Is there another way inside?” Bendy asked.

“There’s a back door,” Cuphead answered.

“Okay, I’m gonna go try it,” Bendy said. He ran while the brothers kept trying to open the front door.

Once he got to the back door, Bendy didn’t try the knob, instead, he looked around to make sure no one was watching before his body melted into a puddle save for his gloves, tie, and tail sock. The black mass slipped under the door and into the kitchen where Bendy reformed his body. The demon ran into the living room in time to see Baby Bottle messing with the radio.

“Elder Kettle’s radio!” came Cuphead and Mugman’s voices. The door burst open, and the cups gasped when they saw the baby messing with the old radio.

Mugman grabbed the baby and looked at him disapprovingly. “No! Bad baby! Bad!” he scolded.

Baby Bottle’s face turned red as he frowned. “Mama.” Baby said with a scowl.

“Uh, I don’t like that crazy glint in his eye,” Cuphead said with worry.

“Yeah... I think you made it mad.” Bendy added.

“Oh, hush you two, I’ll put an end to this,” Mugman said.

“But-” Bendy and Cuphead tried to object.

“Calm down. Wait right there.” Mugman said before he walked to the bookshelf. He grabbed a teddy bear. “I’ve had this bear since I was a tiny baby. It means the world to me. It was always there to cheer me up, and now it’ll be there for you.” He wound up the toy and it played a soft tune. Mugman teared up as he watched Baby Bottle play with it... until the baby ripped the head off the bear. Mugman gasped in horror before he was overcome with rage. “I’m gonna kill that thing!” he exclaimed.

Just as the mug was about to attack, Cuphead and Bendy held him back.

“Mugman, no!” Cuphead shouted.

“It’s just a baby!” Bendy shouted.

“It’s not a baby! It’s evil.” Mugman said.

“That’s what we’ve been trying to tell ya’, Mugsy. It’s-”

“Gone!” Bendy interrupted.

The boys looked to see the baby had vanished again. The room suddenly grew darker, the air felt colder, and the baby’s giggle filled the air. The boys couldn’t track down the baby. Just then a shot of milk hit them, they bumped against the bookshelf, and they jumped away before it fell to the floor.

Cuphead jumped up. “That’s it! I’m calling for help.” He grabbed the phone. “Hello, Operator? Get me the police! Hello? Hello?” He pulled the phone closer and saw the lie had been cut. “He cut the line!” Cuphead whispered in horror.

The cups screamed when they saw the baby hold up Elder Kettle’s radio and throw it. Cuphead and Mugman caught it before it touched the ground and sighed in relief... but the moment was gone once Baby Bottle used a sledgehammer to smash the radio to pieces. The brothers screamed.

“Now what do we do?!” Mugman exclaimed.

“Dresser,” Cuphead said.

“Huh?” Mugman wondered.

“Dresser!” Cuphead shouted.

A dresser flew right at the three boys but Bendy managed to duck out of the way and the brothers crashed into the wall. The cups popped out of the drawer.

“Chair,” Cuphead said.

“No. Dresser.” Bendy said.

“No, chair!” Cuphead shouted.

Bendy saw, too late, the chair that flew right at him and he crashed into the closet. The door closed with a slam.

“Bendy!” Cuphead shouted.

“Chair!” Mugman shouted.

“Huh?” the cup wondered.

The cups saw another chair fly toward them, but they jumped out of the way in time, and they hung onto the chandelier. They heard the baby giggle again and saw it holding a pair of sheers, ready to cut the rope.

“Baby, no!” The brothers cried out.

“Mama!” Baby Bottle replied before it cut the rope.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed as they fell. Thankfully the fall was brief, and they weren’t hurt. They kicked the chandelier off, and it flew towards the door... and Elder Kettle. Luckily, he ducked out of the way.

The kettle looked around, bewildered. “Door ripped off its hinges? Piano on fire? Fishbowl shattered? Fish missing? Antique china in pieces? Dresser smashed into wall? More fire?” he wondered before he shrugged. “Eh. Boys will be boys.” But then he noticed the shattered remnants of... “My radio! My most prized object!” He looked at Cuphead and Mugman with fury.

“Baby did it.” Cuphead and Mugman both said and pointed at Baby Bottle.

Baby Bottle sat on the floor, sucking his thumb. “Mama.” He said.

Kettle’s anger melted away and he looked at the baby with tenderness. “Aw!” Kettle picked the baby up and held it. “This little cutie-patootie?” He cooed before Baby Bottle ripped his mustache off his face. “Ow! Bad baby!” Kettle scolded.

Baby Bottle’s face turned red as it frowned. “Mama.” Baby said with a scowl before it jumped onto Kettle and started beating him up.

Kettle cried out, “Boys! Help!” he pleaded.

Cuphead and Mugman rushed in, dragged Kettle into the kitchen, and closed the door.

Meanwhile, Bendy woke up in the closet and rubbed his head. “What happened?” he wondered. He heard the baby’s giggle, and the memories came back to him. “Alright, that does it!” he yelled.

Kettle went to the icebox, grabbed an ice cube, and rubbed the sore part of his face with it. The cold helped soothe the pain.

“Where’s Bendy?” Cuphead whispered to Mugman.

Just then, a tumbling sound could be heard from behind the door.

The cup and mug’s eyes widened when they realized what was probably going on in the living room.

“He’s in there. With that monster,” Mugman said, horrified.

Next came the sound of glass shattering and a yelp.

“I’m going out there,” Cuphead whispered.

“No,” Mugman whispered back. “Open that door and Baby Bottle will-”

“I don’t care about that. He’s in there all by himself,”

“Whose by himself?” Kettle wondered after he put a band-aid on his face.

Cuphead and Mugman suddenly remembered the no strangers in the house rule and tried to come up with a lie... But then.

“Wait, why’s it gone quiet?” Cuphead said when he noticed the noises stopped.

The family flinched when there came a knocking on the door. They quickly armed themselves with kitchen utensils and put on makeshift armor. Kettle and the cups burst out of the kitchen...only to find the baby asleep.

Both cups and kettle go “aw” when they see the sleeping baby. A while later, they left Baby Bottle on someone else’s doorstep before they jumped into a nearby bush.

The door opened and Baby Bottle said, “Mama,”

The woman cooed. “So cute! Please take care of baby. Oh! Let’s get you inside.” She took the basket inside with the baby.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Kettle watch from behind a bush before shaking hands happily.

Bendy chuckled as he walked deeper into the forest as the sun went down.

“Ah, I came up here looking for fun and those cups did not disappoint.” He said.

The little devil then made his voice higher in pitch. “All baby needs is love... HA!” he chortled. He sighed.

“Yeah, I think I’ll play with them just a little bit longer. And I won’t let anyone take my new toys away from me.”

Bendy walked deeper into the woods, smiling widely, and laughed the whole way home.

Chapter Text

Many Years Ago...

Little Bendy and the Devil were out causing trouble for the surface dwellers in Inkwell City. The Devil was mutating some squirrels in the park while his son looked towards the playground where children were playing. Especially the kids playing kick the can.

“Hey Dad,” Bendy said.

“Yes, son?” The Devil replied.

“Can I play with the other kids?”

The Devil looked at his son questioningly. “Why would you want to do that?” he asked.

“It looks like they’re having fun,” Bendy shrunk a little under his father’s gaze.

“You think kicking a can around is fun, watch this,” The Devil said before he pointed his pitchfork towards the can.

With one zap, the can grew to the size of a car, it grew legs and two angry eyes. The children screamed and ran away from the monster can that tried to kick them back while the lord of darkness laughed.

“See son, that was fun.” The Devil explained. “Besides, you don’t need weak mortals like them when you got me, understand?”

Bendy looked down. “I guess so,” he said trying to sound less disappointed than he seemed.

The Devil didn’t notice his son’s sad expression and heard a bell ringing. “Oh, the ice cream cart! Let’s get some.”

The little devil perked up at the mention of ice cream. The two rush to buy some... and by ‘buy some’, I mean shake down the ice cream man for some free scoops.

Present Day...

It was a typical afternoon in the underworld; the screams of the tortured prisoners filled the air, the fires burned bright and hot, and Bendy tap-danced his way to the dining table. He took his seat but found the head of the table vacant.

A devil imp approached Bendy.

“Menu, sir?” the imp said.

“Not yet,” Bendy replied. “Do you know where my dad is?”

“The boss is busy with his job. I’m afraid you won’t be seeing him much today.”

“Again!?” Bendy fumed. This was the fourth time the Devil had missed eating with Bendy this week. The little devil got up from his seat. “Cancel my lunch. I’m going out to eat.”

“As you wish sir,” the imp said. “But what about the Devil?”

“What about him!?” Bendy snapped. He walked towards the throne room. “If anyone asks just tell them I’m in my room,”

“Very well sir,” the imp said before he walked in the opposite direction.

In the forest, Cuphead and Mugman were walking through the woods on a dirt road.

“I still want ice cream!”

“I know, Cuphead! I heard you the first ten times!”

Just as Cuphead and Mugman walked under a low-hanging branch, Bendy, in his kitten disguise, dropped down and landed on his feet in front of the brothers. The two cups gasped.

“Hi’ya fellas,” Bendy greeted.

After getting over the surprise, Cuphead broke the silence. “Hi Bendy,” he said happily.

“Bendy? What happened to you?” Mugman wondered. “You disappeared and we didn’t know if you were alive or dead.”

“What? Oh yeah, the baby thing.” Bendy said. “Sorry, I had to run home to my dad. So, what are you weirdos up to today? Fighting again?”

“Yeah. I’m mad at Mugman for eating my ice cream,” Cuphead said. “And he said he did it in his sleep!”

“Well Cuphead claims he ‘sleep-ate’ my ice cream, but I don’t buy it,” Mugman said as he resumed walking.

Cuphead and Bendy walked beside him.

“Then Elder Kettle gave Mugman five bucks and me some pocket lint,” Cuphead said. “I say we should use the dough to buy some ice cream.”

“Makes sense to me,” Bendy said.

“Well, I say, if we invest it,” Mugman countered. “We could have as much ice cream as we want when we’re older.”

“Ugh, but it’s so boring to wait that long,” Bendy groaned.

“And I want ice cream now!” Cuphead shouted.

“Well you two don’t have to be such-” Mugman said before being interrupted by a steamboat horn.

The boys then saw a steamboat. A sign on the boat said, “THE FLY TRAP” and two frogs in suits stood beside the entrance of the ship. One frog was short and green, and the other was tall and brown. They were also wearing boxing gloves and fine suits.

“Head right up, folks.” Said Ribby, the green fog. “We cast off in a few minutes. Get on the boat.”

The boys approached the gangplank, and the frogs noticed them.

“Hey, hey!” Ribby said as he elbowed the taller frog. “Looks like we got a couple of VIPs on our hands.” He joked. “Youse three want the premium treatment, don’t yas?” He lightly punched Cuphead’s arm. “Huh? Huh? Huh?”

The cup rubbed his and asked, “What’s with those gloves?”

“Ho-oh, we used to be pro boxers,” Ribby explained.

“Champions!” Exclaimed Croaks, the brown frog.

“But, our dear old ma, she hated when we pounded each other,” Ribby said. “So we opened this club! We’re respectable types now.”

“Anybody says different, I’ll pound ‘em!” Croaks threatened.

“Ha-ha! Croaks is just kidding!” Ribby said. He pointed at a board. “Check this out! Want an evening you’ll never forget? We got first-class entertainment, ballroom dancing, and fine dining.”

Bendy suddenly smiled, grabbed Cuphead and Mugman’s handles, and directed their faces toward the board.

“Fellas, look!” Bendy said. “Free ice cream with entry,”

“Ice cream!” The boys exclaimed excitedly.

The three ran for the boat but were stopped by Croaks.

“Not so fast!” Croaks exclaimed.

“Cover charge is 20 bucks,” Ribby said.

“We don’t have that much,” Cuphead said.

“Hmm... Well, how much you got?” Ribby said.

The cup pulled the money and lint from his brother's pocket.

“Five bucks and some pocket lint,” Cuphead said as he showed both the lint and the money to Ribby.

Ribby took the money, “You know what five bucks gets you?” he said.

“Ice cream?” the boys asked excitedly.

The frogs grabbed Cuphead and Mugman.

“A kick in the pants!” Croaks answered.

The frogs kicked the cups into the river, and they laughed.

Ribby wiped away a tear, smiling. “Now for- huh? Where did the kitten go?”

The frogs looked around but Bendy had vanished.

“Must’ve scared him off,” Ribby said proudly.

“You saying you better than me?” Croaks said accusingly.

“So what if I am?” Ribby answered.

They started punching each other before they noticed the Mayor walking toward them with his wife and they stopped fighting.

“Oh! Hello Mr. Mayor. Mrs. Mr. Mayor. We’re respectable types.” Ribby said.

“Say any different and I’ll pound you!” Croaks threatened.

“Oh! This guy! Always with the jokes!” Ribby said as he tried to defuse the tension. “Please, step right inside.”

No one noticed the little kitten sneaking onto the ship and throwing a fishing net over the side. He felt a tug, pulled the net up, and Cuphead and Mugman flopped like fishes once they were on the deck.

“This is an outrage!” Mugman said as he emptied the water from his gloves and shoes. “They stole our five bucks. They kicked us in the river!”

“The lint!” Cuphead shouted.

All three boys watched the pocket lint sink in the waters.

Cuphead started sniffing. “Ice cream.” He said. “I smell ice cream!”

The boys found a window and looked inside. A large, classy dining room with many customers... but the boys barely noticed them. Across the room, there is a table laden with ice cream of many flavors in cups, bowls, and cones and a chocolate fountain. Their eyes widen at the sight.

Cuphead looked toward the ceiling. “Ooh... It’s right under that vent.” He spotted an air vent to climb into. “Look!” He, Mugman, and Bendy climbed up some boxes to reach the vent. The brothers jumped into the vent at the same time, struggling to squeeze in before Bendy shoved them in. Just as the brothers get inside the boat horn blew and the ship rocked.

“We’re shoving off!” Cuphead shouted.

“Let’s go!” Mugman said before he reached for Bendy’s hand. “C’mon!”

Bendy reached up for Mugman when suddenly the door next to the vent opened and a firefly came out.

“I think I heard someone out here,” said the insect.

Bendy closed the vent just as the bug turned his head.

The firefly gasped. “M-Mr. Ribby! Mr. Croaks!” he shouted.

The frogs arrived in seconds. “You!” Ribby shouted.

“Oh no, you caught me,” Bendy said as he smiled and held his hands up.

Cuphead and Mugman watched silently as the Croaks grabbed Bendy and held him up by the tail.

“You’se thought you could just stow away on our ship,” Ribby said angrily.

“Ship? I’ve seen better ships in a toy store. This is tub!” Bendy protested.

“That’s it, say good night kitty!” Croaks said as he raised his fist. He was about to punch Bendy’s face, but Ribby blocked his fist.

“Wait Croaks, we can’t just hit him. We’re respectable now, remember?” Ribby said. “Let’s just lock him up, call the police, and they can pick him up once we get back to shore.”

Croaks grumbled but he conceded before they walked back inside with Bendy in tow.

“We gotta’ save him,” Mugman said.

“We can’t. If we go now, they’ll just lock us up too.” Cuphead said. “I don’t like it either, but we’ll get him back. Somehow...”

Mugman and Cuphead crawled through the air duct while Ribby checked the guests.

Meanwhile, Croaks locked Bendy in a cage in the storage room.

“Enjoy your stay in the VIP suite,” Croaks said mockingly before he walked out of the room and locked the door.

“You sure this is the right way?” Mugman said as he followed Cuphead through the duct.

“Shh, quiet! Someone might hear!” Cuphead replied.

“Hey! How’d you bozos get in?” Ribby shouted from the floor.

The cup brothers gasped, thinking they had been found. Cuphead looked through an air vent.

“Just kidding...” Ribby said with a laugh. He and Croaks were on stage and the guests laughed.

Cuphead and Mugman sighed in relief and resumed their way through the air duct.

“You fine folks are paying customers. You ain’t bozos.” Ribby said.

“Except for this clown.” Croaks joked.

A clown bug laughed humorously.

Back in the storage room, Bendy’s body melted down into an inky mass that slipped out through the bars and under the door. The little devil morphed back to his normal self, and he snuck around the halls, avoiding the staff.

“But seriously, folks, we’d like to start the night off with a song,” Ribby said.

Musician Bugs started playing a sad tune.

“Since we was tiny tadpoles, There’s only been one gal. She washed our clothes and fed us,~” Ribby sang.

“And boosted our morale.~” Ribby and Croaks sang.

“We owe her everything we gots. Everything we ever had.~” Croaks sang.

“And she never did run out on us,~” Ribby sang.

“Not like our crummy dad-ah!~” Ribby and Croaks sang.

“Two, three, four!~” Ribby sang.

“Mudda. We love you, mudda. In this garlic bread called life, she was the butter!~” Ribby and Croaks sang.

“She told us, boys, don’t fight!~” Croaks sang.

“She taught us wrong, from right.~” Ribby sang.

“Her heart, it was pure go-old! She was our mudda!~” Ribby and Croaks sang.

“You’re stepping on my fingers!” Mugman shouted before he kicked Cuphead.

“Hey! Watch it!” Cuphead shouted back and kicked Mugman.

“We miss youse, Ma!” Ribby cried out.

Mugman’s face hit the air duct wall, and this made a loud enough noise to catch Ribby’s attention.

“Hey-o! Who’s up there?” The green frog shouted.

“Come here, firefly!” Croaks said before he grabbed a firefly and used him as a flamethrower on the air duct.

Cuphead and Mugman felt the heat and quickly made a turn in the ducts to escape. They pushed an air vent and landed in a freezer.

The fire from the firefly spread to the stage curtains and onto the painting of the mother frog.

“Ma’s on fire!” Ribby screamed.

“You saying it’s my fault?” Croaks argued.

“So, what if I am?” Ribby argued back. The two frogs started fighting before they heard the guests gasp. They quickly stopped fighting and smiled at the crowd. “All part of the show, folks.” He snapped his fingers at some of the staff. “Hey, you. Put out Ma. Make with the music.”

The door to the freezer opened and the cook, a bulldog in a deli cook outfit, took out the frozen Cuphead and Mugman and hung them on hooks over the sink. The dog then started sharpening his axe when a shrill voice screamed out.

“Sherman!”

Sherman, the dog cook, turned around and saw a chihuahua at the door. She was wearing a blue dress and heels.

“Dorris? What are you doin’ here?” Sherman asked.

“You stood me up again! You’re always woikin’!” Dorris answered in frustration.

“Aw, sweetheart, I’m sorry.”

“No more excuses! You missed my parents’ “anniversiary.” You missed our “anniversiary!”

“Anniversary! It’s “anniversary”!”

“That’s what I said.”

The ice around the cups began to melt just as Bendy snuck into the kitchen. He unhooked the cup brothers as the dogs kept talking.

“No. You said, “anniversiary.” And you said it twice.” Sherman said. “It’s the only reason I brought it up.” 

“Oh! Here he goes again. Correctin’ me!” Dorris said. “This is why I don’t tell you things. Like how some cat just stole your meat.”

Sherman turned around in disbelief, but it was true. The ‘meat’ was gone! Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman hid under a table.

“You okay?” Cuphead asked Bendy. “When the frogs got ya’, I- er... we-”

“Relax Cuphead. I’m fine.” Bendy answered. “Now let’s get that ice cream and get off this tub!”

Suddenly the table was thrown away, exposing the boys. They looked up and saw Ribby and Croaks looking down on them with anger in their eyes.

“I knew I saw him sneak under here!” Croaks shouted.

“And you two!” Ribby shouted, “Youse bums didn’t pay!”

“And you bums stole our five bucks!” Mugman shouted back.

“Come here!!” Ribby shouted as he reached out to grab the boys, but they ran away.

“Get back here, you little creeps!” Ribby shouted as he and Croaks chased the boys. The frogs stopped running to check on the Mayor and his wife. “Hello, Mr. Mayor. Push in your chair? How about a picture? Cheese!” They resumed their chase after a quick picture.

The boys then split up. Cuphead jumped over tables, Mugman hid under a table, and Bendy ran for the ice cream table. The kitten took the opportunity to fill a big bowl with ice cream.

Mugman almost got crushed by Croaks but managed to slip away and he ran towards his brother.

“Cuphead! Cuphead! Cuphead!” Mugman shouted as a furious Ribby closed in on them.

Cuphead and Mugman jumped on a long table and ran. They ran over plates and knocked over cups and centerpieces, and Ribby waited for them at the end of the table. The cups gasped but then a bowl of ice cream flew across the room and hit Ribby in the face, knocking him down.

Croaks’ eyes scanned around the room. “Who threw that?” he wondered. He then saw Bendy about to throw waffle cones at him like darts. “Uh oh,” he muttered. He managed to dodge all but one of the cones, the last one hit his bottom. Croaks yowled in pain.

“That’s for grabbing my tail!” Bendy shouted.

Croaks grabbed a firefly, “Come here, you.” He said. He aims the flames towards the kitten. Bendy manages to dodge the flames and runs away.

The flames spread, from the drapes to the painting of the frogs’ mother.

“Ma!” Ribby cried out before he noticed the people panicking and tried to calm things down. “All part of the show, folks. All part of the show!” he said but it was in vain.

Cuphead and Mugman skid to a stop when they found a large bowl full of ice cream.

“The ice cream!” Cuphead said. “Let’s grab it and get outta here!”

“Wait, Cuphead. I need to say something.” Mugman said. “I’m sorry, Cuphead.”

“For sleep-eating my ice cream?”

“I didn’t sleep-eat it. I awake-ate it! I’m the worst brother ever!”

“Hey! No, you’re not. ‘Cause I awake-ate your ice cream too.”

“You did?”

Cuphead and Mugman embraced each other.

Unnoticed by the cup brothers, Ribby and Croaks stopped mid-punch and listened to their confession. Their fury vanished, tears formed in their eyes, and they smiled.

“It’s so beautiful how youse two forgive each other like that,” Ribby said before he wiped a tear from his eye.

“We should try to be more like that.” Croaks said. “I’m sorry we’s always fighting.”

“Me too,” Ribby replied before he hugged the taller frog. “Youse two are family now.” He looked at Cuphead and Mugman. “And with family, anything in the past is water under the...”

The smaller frog didn’t get to finish his sentence as the boat filled up with water and soon it was halfway submerged in the lake. The frogs argue while the passengers swim or fly back to shore.

Just as Cuphead and Mugman resurfaced, a rowboat passed by.

Bendy, in a boat, grabbed the cups by their handles and pulled them into the boat. There was also a big bowl of ice cream. When they reached the shore, Bendy was about to walk home but Cuphead grabbed his arm.

“Wait,” Cuphead said. Bendy turned his head. “Don’t just leave us again.”

“I should be getting back home.” The kitten said.

“Do you have to go home right now?” Cuphead asked. “Can’t you have some ice cream with us first?”

Bendy looked surprised. “You wanna share with me?” he asked.

“Sure, we do,” Cuphead replied.

“But the ice cream is for you guys. You wanted it most.”

“You helped us a bunch in there, it’s the least we can do,” Mugman said.

Bendy smiled, “Okay,” he said.

All three sat in the grass and ate the ice cream together and, though he probably wouldn’t admit it, Bendy was most happy to have the brothers to hang out and share the treat with.

Chapter Text

At the Kettle Cottage, Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy were playing a new game. Blindfold pillow fight.

“Prepare to have your faces rearranged,” Cuphead said before he blindfolded himself.

“I’ll make you both beg for mercy,” Bendy said before he blindfolded himself.

“You’re both going down,” Mugman said before he blindfolded himself.

Cuphead picked up a pillow and fluffed it. “Three...” he said.

Mugman fluffed his pillow. “Two...” he said.

Bendy slipped the blindfold off his left eye to peek after he fluffed his pillow. “One, go!” he said.

The boys yelled as they ran around and swung their pillows around. Bendy hit Mugman in the face and then went after Cuphead.

“Who did that!? I’ll get you,” Mugman yelled as he swung his pillow around.

Mugman twirled as Bendy smacked Cuphead in the face. Bendy continued to smack Cuphead with his pillow when-

SMASH!

“Uh-oh.” Said the boys.

“What was that?” Mugman wondered.

The boys removed their blindfolds and Bendy gasped when he saw the back of Mugman’s head. Cuphead saw it too.

Mugman turned to see Cuphead and Bendy looking at him in surprise.

“What is it?” Mugman asked.

Cuphead and Bendy’s eyes shifted downward, and they saw Mugman’s broken handle lying on the floor.

Cuphead started to sweat. “Uh... Nothing, at all. Nothing. Why? What? Why?” he said.

“Yeah, nothing’s wrong,” Bendy said with indifference.

Mugman gave Bendy a suspicious glare, but the kitten seemed unperturbed... but when he glared at Cuphead, the cup’s sweating got worse.

“Oh, it’s something,” Mugman said. He walked over to the mirror and checked his face. His teeth and nose seemed fine. No visible cracks. He tilted his head and finally noticed the broken remains at the back of his head. He looked around the floor and saw his broken handle. He touched the broken part of his head and then screamed in horror.

As he ran around in a panic, Bendy picked up the handle and Cuphead stepped next to him and inspected it.

“Can you feel this?” Bendy asked before he poked the handle and then tickled it with his finger.

Mugman’s reaction was immediate, and he started laughing.

Cuphead tickled the other end of the handle and he and Bendy snickered as Mugman laughed louder.

Mugman huffed. “Hey-! Hey!” he crawled over to Bendy and Cuphead. “stop... stop it. Stop it!” he yelled. He managed to snatch his handle back and took in a few breaths to regain his composure but when he looked down at the handle, he sputtered.

Cuphead wrapped an arm around Mugman. “Buddy, relax. We’ll handle it.” Cuphead said.

Mugman glared at his brother.

“I mean, take care of it,” Cuphead said. He licked the handle, twirled Mugman around, and stuck it back onto Mugman’s head. “There, nothing to it.”

Mugman seemed delighted... until the handle fell off and it chipped off more fragments. Mugman screamed again but quickly stopped.

“Boy, that never gets easier,” Mugman said as he wiped his brow.

“Let me try somethin’,” Bendy said. He pulled out a long black thread and tied the handle to Mugman’s head. Unfortunately, the handle slipped off again.

Mugman exclaimed.

“Don’t worry Mugsy,” Cuphead said. He brought out the scotch tape and taped the handle to Mugman’s head.

“How do I look?” Mugman asked.

“Good as new,” Cuphead said.

The handle fell and Mugman screamed again.

Bendy and Cuphead wondered what to do but then the cup got an idea. He ran outside and returned moments later with a beehive full of honey. He waved the bees away, dipped the handle ends into the honey, and stuck the handle back on Mugman’s head.

“Voila!” Cuphead said.

“Nice work,” Bendy said.

“Thanks, Cuphead,” Mugman said.

As the boys shook hands, a liquid dripped into Cuphead’s head. The three looked up and saw a black bear looming over them, growling. The bear chased the brothers around the room but Bendy hissed at the bear and jumped on him.

The kitten’s claws poked out through the gloves, and he scratched the bear. Hissing and roaring, fur flew everywhere until the bear walked out of the house with the beehive under its arm and a paw held over his scratched cheek.

Bendy huffed at the bear and slammed the front door shut. He smoothed out his fur as the brothers looked at him with disbelief.

“You fought off the bear,” Cuphead said.

“Eh, he wasn’t so tough,” Bendy said.

“That was... incredible!” Mugman exclaimed.

“Thanks. But he left with the honey,” Bendy said.

Mugman's expression fell when he saw his handle on the floor again.

“If only there were some kind of substance that could stick one item to another that didn’t attract bears.” Cuphead ponders.

Mugman fell onto the floor, rolled onto his front, and sobbed.

“Hold on there, Mugsy.” Cuphead said reassuringly, “This ain’t over till we say it’s over.”

Mugman’s tears pooled under his face before he turned his head to look at Cuphead and Bendy. “It’s over,” he said with defeat.

“C’mon Mug, it’s not the end of the world,” Bendy said.

“Yeah! You’re getting worked up over nothing.” Cuphead added.

“Oh really?” Mugman said, anger growing in his voice. “Maybe we should snap off your handle and see how you like it!” He swipes at Cuphead.

Cuphead shielded his handle. “NO!” he yelled. “I mean, no?”

Mugman sighed. “What if it never sticks back on? A mug without a handle is just a bowl! I’m a mug! I’m Mugman! Not Bowlboy! I don’t wanna be Bowlboy! I never shoulda let you two talk me into this!”

“What?! You were the one begging for a blindfolded pillow fight.” Cuphead yelled.

“This is hardly the time to point fingers, Cuphead!” Mugman yelled back.

“Well, don’t get mad at me!”

“Well, don’t get mad at me!”

“FELLAS!” Bendy yelled

“WHAT?!” The brothers yelled.

“Look, this might be out of the box thinking... but do you guys not have glue in this house?”

Cuphead and Mugman smacked their foreheads for not realizing that glue was the solution.

“Where do you keep it?” Bendy asked.

Cuphead and Mugman run into the kitchen. Cuphead found a tube of glue in the kitchen counter drawer, “Here we go.” He picked it up, but it was stuck to a mass of objects. “Oh boy,”

Mugman sunk back on the floor, downhearted. “I’m never gonna fix my handle. Maybe I am Bowlboy.” He said.

Cuphead put the stuck tube of glue away.

“Mugman, you’ve gotta pull yourself together,” Bendy said as he pulled Mugman back on his feet.

“Bendy’s right. We can just get some new glue from Porkrind’s.” Cuphead suggested.

“But I can’t go out looking like this,” Mugman said.

“No one’s even gonna notice,” Cuphead replied.

A scream and whistle caught their attention. They saw Elder Kettle screaming, he was looking right at Mugman and then dashed away.

Mugman scowled at Cuphead, who laughed nervously.

A Little Later...

The boys had come up with a plan to get Mugman to Porkrind’s without people noticing the mug’s missing handle. Unfortunately, Cuphead still didn’t understand it.

“Okay, explain it to me one more time,” Cuphead asked as he walked behind Mugman and Bendy. “Mugman had to dress like... this, because?”

“Because the veil hides his head and face,” Bendy answered.

Indeed, Mugman had a veil on, along with a bride’s dress, bouquet, heeled slippers, and long gloves.

“And you’re dressed in the tux because...?” Cuphead asked.

“Because I’m the father of the bride walking her down the street. Nothing weird about that.” Bendy said, dressed in a navy blue suit and top hat. He was also wearing a thick grey mustache under his fake nose.

“Okay fine, but why do I gotta do flower girl stuff?” Cuphead asked.

“Don’t ask me, it was the bride’s idea,” Bendy said.

Lifting the veil, Mugman answered. “Just pipe down and scatter those flower petals.” He pulled the veil back down.

As Cuphead, Bendy, and Mugman passed a bus stop, the cup skipped in front of his brother and friend and scattered flower petals. Onlookers gushed over Mugman. A gust of wind tore away the dress, veil, and fake eyelashes. It also took Bendy’s suit, mustache, and hat.

One of the onlookers screamed. “Broken handle!”

“It’s hideous!” said an old mouse.

The onlookers fled and Mugman sighed sadly.

“Well, I think he looks swell!” Said Bowlboy. A bowl with arms, and legs, and wearing a green bowtie.

“Nobody asked you, Bowlboy!” Mugman shouted.

Mugman walked away, with Cuphead and Bendy following behind.

“Gee, what’s eatin’ him?” Bowlboy wondered.

At Porkrind’s Emporium, which was a gypsy wagon, the owner was sitting behind the counter and eyeing his radio.

Porkrind was a pig-headed man with light orange skin and a black mustache between the nose and mouth. He has an eye patch over his right eye. He usually wore a grey short-sleeved shirt, green dungarees, yellow gloves, and black shoes.

“It’s Frenchy’s Dream and Granny’s Whiskers!” Said the announcer on the radio. “It’s Frenchy’s Dream! It’s Granny’s Whiskers! It’s Frenchy’s Dream... Oh, no! Granny’s Whiskers wins by a hair!”

Porkrind scowled and turned off the radio as he muttered to himself.

RING

The doorbell rang, distracting Porkrind.

“Knock-knock!” Cuphead said.

Mugman threw the door wide open. “Porkrind! We’ve got a problem!”

“Do you now?” Porkrind asked with disinterest.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy stepped into the shop.

“We need a tube of glue bad,” Cuphead said.

“Real bad,” Mugman added.

“Really bad,” Bendy said.

“Gonna be really expensive then,” Porkrind said.

“We’ll pay anything, Porkrind!” Mugman pleaded.

Porkrind smiled. “Well, la-di-da. Somebody knows the magic words. So, what are we gluing?” he asked.

Mugman showed the pig his broken handle. Porkrind’s face turned green, and he gagged. 

“Of course!” Mugman said. “He’s disgusted by my disembodied handle.”

Porkrind swallowed down the gag feeling, and his skin returned to its normal color. “N’ah, I don’t care about you or your handle.” He said dismissively. “I just ate a rank fish sandwich.” He pointed out an unappetizing sandwich in the trash can. “Anyway, I’ll sell you the glue. Be back in a jiff.” Porkrind went to the back of the store behind a curtain.

“You see, Mugman?” Cuphead said. “Nothing to worry about. That handle will be back on in no time.” He then spotted a pot lid handle. “That is if you even want it back. Maybe it’s time for a little change.”

“Change?” Mugman asked curiously.

“Think about it!” Cuphead said as he tied an apron around his brother’s neck. “You could have any handle you want, Mugsy.”

Bendy sat Mugman on a stool and pushed him close to a mirror.

“I see what you mean Cuphead,” Bendy said. “How about this one, Mugs?”

Bendy held a Gent pipe to Mugman’s head.

“Nah. Too greasy,” Mugman said.

“How about this?” Cuphead said as he held a golden handle.

“Hm. Too fancy.” Mugman said.

Bendy and Cuphead presented one handle-shaped object after another against Mugman’s head. Including chattering teeth, half a gear, a horseshoe, a magnet, a boomerang, a candle, a wrench, a snake, and half a donut. Mugman politely rejected them all though.

“Listen, fellas,” Mugman said. “I don’t want any of these other handles. I just wanna be me again.”

“Ah, yes. Sticking to the original,” Bendy said. “Right?”

“Right!” Mugman said.

“Wrong.” Came Porkrind’s voice. “I’m outta glue. I get the next shipment in three months.” He sat back behind the counter, turned on the radio, and listened to the races.

“Three months?!” Mugman shouted.

The three boys walked back to the Kettle Cottage and when they entered, Mugman sulked on the couch and hid under a blanket.

“Aw, come on, Mugsy,” Cuphead said. “Three months will go by like that. You can still go outside. People just need to get used to it.”

Mugman peeked out from under a blanket. “Really?” he asked.

Cuphead and Bendy screamed and ducked under the couch. Cuphead came out of hiding and shrugged.

“Sorry. Still getting used to it.” Cuphead said.

Upset, Mugman frowned and pulled the blanket back over himself.

“Uh, Mugman?” Came Kettle’s voice. He stepped out of the kitchen. “Oh, there you are, boy.” He failed to notice the black tail and stepped on it. After which, there came a cat yowl. “Oops!” He lifted his foot. “What was that?”

Before Cuphead or Mugman could say anything, Bendy sprang up from behind the couch.

“Hello, Mr. Kettle!” Bendy greeted. He hopped over the couch, grabbed Elder Kettle’s hand, and shook it vigorously. “Glad to meet you, Mr. Kettle. The name’s Bendall Scratch, folks call me Bendy for short. I’m friends with your boys and I’ve heard a lot of great things about you.”

“Oh, heh, it’s nice to meet you too. Can you let go of my hand please?” Kettle said.

Bendy let the kettle’s hand go.

Kettle stretched his fingers. “Bendy, was it?” he asked.

Bendy nodded with a smile.

“Well, it’s nice to see my boys have made a friend.” Kettle squinted his eyes. “Huh?”

“Is something wrong sir?” Bendy asked.

“No no, but you look oddly familiar. But I don’t know how?” Kettle said. He shrugged. “Oh well, maybe I’ll remember another time.” He turned his attention back to Cuphead. “Cuphead, would you please take Bendy to another room while I talk to Mugman.”

“Of course,” Cuphead said. “We’ll leave you two alone. C’mon Bendy,”

Cuphead and Bendy walked into the kitchen. Elder Kettle sat on the couch next to Mugman.

“He’s a nice boy,” Kettle said. “But that’s not what I wanted to talk about. Mugman, I’m sorry I screamed in horror at the mere sight of you, but it just took me by surprise.”

Mugman peeked out from under the blanket and looked at Elder Kettle.

“Oh, but gosh, you boys are just growing up so fast.” Kettle continued. “Your bodies are going through changes.” Kettle chuckles. “I should’ve known. It’s about time your baby handles fell off.”

Mugman jumped off the couch. “Baby handle?” He repeated.

Cuphead popped up from behind the couch. “Baby handle?!” he repeated.

“Baby scandal?!” Bendy shouted next to Cuphead.

The cups looked at the kitten with confusion, but Bendy just chuckled.

Kettle chuckled too before clearing his throat. “But yes, really. Your baby handles,” he said. “I still remember the day I lost my baby handle. Back when I was but a wee little kettle. I was in the middle of brushing my tiny little toothie when, to my surprise, it happened. Darn it, if my baby handle didn’t just pop right off! Like all good boys, I knew that when your baby handle falls off, why, that means you’re getting a visit from the Handle Fairy! So, I put my baby handle under my pillow and waited. In the morning, I ran over to my bedroom mirror, and there it was. My shiny, new... man handle. Ah, youth.”

Mugman jumped for joy. “Woohoo! Boy! Hear that, Cuphead? I’m getting a man handle!” he said.

“Hey! I want a man handle!” Cuphead said before he broke his handle against a wall.

Kettle shrugged. “Well, I guess that saves the Handle Fairy a trip.”

Everyone laughed.

The clock suddenly chimed, alerting everyone that it was six o’clock.

“Time for dinner. Bendy, would like to join us?” Kettle offered.

“I wish I could sir, but I should be gettin’ back home. My dad will be expecting me.” Bendy said as he walked to the door.

“Is it far? I can give you a lift.” Kettle said.

“NO!” Bendy shouted. He cleared his throat. “Sorry, I mean no thank you. My place isn’t that far. I’ll come back tomorrow to see your new handles.” He walked out the door. “Bye,” then he ran out the front door and closed it behind him before anyone could reply.

Cuphead seemed the most disappointed to see Bendy go, but he said nothing and just followed his family into the kitchen.

The next morning, Bendy knocked on the door, opened it, and walked inside the cottage as the cups ran downstairs in excitement.

“Elder Kettle! Bendy! Elder Kettle! Bendy!” Cuphead and Mugman yelled.

Elder Kettle stood in front of a broom closet, where a fairy costume was hanging on a coat hanger, and he held a tube of glue behind his back.

“The Handle Fairy came!” Mugman said.

“Get a load of these man handles!” Cuphead said.

“Neat,” Bendy said.

Kettle tossed the glue tube into the closet and closed the door. “Oh! Looks like he-... uh, I mean, she did a great job.” He said.

“To our man handles!” Mugman said.

“To your man handles!” Bendy said.

Cuphead and Mugman held up their heads with their handles and Bendy lifted his head in his hands.

“Cheers!” the boys cheered.

They toast with their heads, the cups shattered after the clink, and Bendy laughed.

Chapter Text

One of the few adults closest to Bendy other than The Devil was Henchman. He’s been there for him since the beginning. Pushing his stroller through the Underworld, feeding him, bathing him, playing with him, reading to him. One of their favorite things to do together was listen to the radio shows. 

“Blanket!” Bendy said.

“Duh, check!” Henchman replied as he laid down the blanket on the floor.

“Popcorn!”

“Check!”

“Radio!”

“Check!”

“Underwear!”

“Che-... Uh, wait. We don’t wear underwear.”

Bendy snickered. Henchman soon laughed along.

“Good one Little Boss,” Henchman said.

“Thank you, Henchman,” Bendy said. The little devil tapped on the magic mirror on the wall and an image of the stage appeared while Henchman tuned the radio. The announcer’s voice could be heard.

“Roll the Dice with King Dice will begin in five minutes,”

“He’s so great,” Bendy said. “I hope I get to dance on stage like that someday,”

“I’ve seen you dance on that stage the boss set up,” Henchman said.

Bendy shrugged. “Yeah, but it’s always in front of devil imps who just nap the whole time... and you. I want a fresh audience.” He grabbed a gumball and started chewing it. “But Dad won’t let me up in the surface world.”

“You know he has his reasons. You just gotta wait a little longer than you can go anywhere you want.” Henchman said after he placed a hand on Bendy’s shoulder. 

“You really think so,”

“I bet my wings on it!”

Bendy smiled. “Thank you, Henchman,” he said as he hugged the purple demon.

“Live from beautiful Inkwell City....it’s everyone’s favorite game show, Roll the Dice! Featuring your master of ceremonies, King Dice!”

Bendy and Henchman sat down on the blanket and watched the show start with the mirror. They could hear the show on the radio. The little devil blew a bubble with the gum.

“Careful with that, Little Boss. Don’t want it to stick to your fur,” Henchman said.

Bendy sucked the bubble back but soon got an idea for it later.

Three weeks later...

“You made it to the show, okay?” Henchman asked while on the phone.

“Yes, Henchman. I’m in the box seat right now.” Bendy replied on the other end. He was in the studio in Inkwell City where the radio show was broadcasted, and he was wearing his kitten disguise. He sat in a private box seat.

“I’m so happy the boss is letting you see the show live,” Henchman said. “Have a great time. But don’t eat too much junk food while you’re up there or you’ll spoil your dinner.”

“Yes, Henchman,” Bendy said.

“Good, I’ll pick you up after the show. Bye,”

“Bye,” Bendy said before he hung up the phone and then snapped his fingers. An usher came up. “Yeah, I’ll have two hot dogs, popcorn, french fries, root beer, some ice cream...”

Meanwhile...

In the Inkwell Woods, Cuphead and Mugman were in the front yard, laughing and playing with a car tire.

From inside the cottage, Elder Kettle called out, “Boys! Our favorite radio show is about to start!”

Letting the tire roll, the cup brothers gasped excitedly.

“Hey!” Kettle exclaimed before he stuck his head out the window and looked at the boys. “You're not playing with my lucky tire again, are ya?”

“Of course not, dearest Kettle.” Cuphead and Mugman lied while smiling nervously.

Kettle hummed suspiciously before the radio announcer spoke.

The announcer began the intro. “Live from beautiful Inkwell City...it’s everyone’s favorite game show, Roll the Dice!”

The cup brothers sighed in relief before they saw they saw Kettle’s lucky tire roll out the garden and down the road. They started chasing after it as it rolled towards the city. Meanwhile, Kettle stayed in the cottage and listened to the show on his radio.

“Featuring your master of ceremonies, King Dice!”

Back at the studio... The band of cards started playing and King Dice danced across the stage while scatting.

King Dice was a man with a white dice for a head. He had purple dots numbered around his head. He had green eyes and a mustache under his nose. He wore a purple suit with white shoes, white gloves, and a purple bowtie.

“All right. All right. Let’s jump right in!” King Dice said. “Who will be the first lucky contestant to Roll the Dice? Will it be...”

A spotlight went around over the audience until it stopped over Telephone.

“You!” King Dice said.

Telephone cheered. “Yay!”

“It’s your lucky day, sir. Get on up here and Roll the Dice.” King Dice said as Telephone hopped to the stage.

Telephone reached out to hug the host, but he was stopped.

“N’ah ah. Don’t touch.” King Dice said. “Now, all you gotta do is make it through three rounds, then you get to enter the mystery prize room. First up, Name That Tune!”

He conducted the band to play a song.

“Little Brown Jug,” Bendy quietly answered while he ate his hot dog among the pile of junk food he ordered.

“Ah! “Little Brown Jug”!” Telephone answered.

“Correct!” King Dice said. “Now, on to the trivia round! Which is the only mammal that cannot jump?”

The telephone thought about it for a second. “Hmm... The elephant.” He answered.

“Correct!” King Dice said.

The audience cheered and jumped with excitement. Except for the two elephants.

“Show-offs.” The male elephant said bitterly after he crossed his arms.

“Now, for the final game.” King Dice said. “All you gotta do is Roll the Dice!” A stand with two giant dice was rolled on stage. “Roll any number and you’ll go to the mystery prize room.”

Bendy rolled his eyes and laid back against his seat. The little devil found this the most boring part of the otherwise entertaining show.

Telephone spun the dice, and they landed on twelve. Confetti rained down on the happy telephone.

“We have a winner!” King Dice announced. “You are one lucky phone! Now, off you go to the mystery prize room! We’ll be right back.” He winked at the audience.

Telephone hopped into the mystery prize room and the door closed behind him.

“Hello?” the telephone said.

The room was empty save for a lightbulb hanging from the ceiling and... a furnace? The little gate of the furnace opened and inside was a roaring fire. A clear tub emerged from the fire and that started sucking the air.

“Uh oh,” Telephone said before he tried to open the door, but it was locked.

Suddenly, Telephone’s soul was pulled out of his body, and it was sucked into the tube. The telephone, now grey and listless, fell through a trap door and landed in an alleyway outside the building.

During intermission, King Dice walked up to the box seat doors. He found Bendy lying back in his seat practically surrounded by junk food.

“Enjoying the show, kid?” King Dice asked.

Bendy sat upright hearing the host’s voice. He turned to face him.

“That’s “boss” to you mister.” He said.

“Oops. Sorry, I mean little boss.” King Dice teased. “How’s the slow descent into tummy aches?”

“How’s your slow descent into unemployment?”

“Okay okay.” King Dice said after he brought his hands up in surrender. “Boss. So, about the live show.”

“It’s good. Although, that last challenge gets kinda boring...”

“Can’t be helped. It is ‘Roll the Dice’ after all. It gets the crowd excited, and every win is a win for Big D.”

“Uh hu.”

The announcer called out.

“Now, we return to your favorite radio game show, Roll the Dice!”

“Well, duty calls.” King Dice said. “See you later, little boss.”

Bendy rolled his eyes. “Never meet your heroes they say.” He said before he sipped his root beer.

King Dice entered the stage. “Who will be our next lucky contestant?” he asked.

Just then, a car tire busted into the building followed by Cuphead and Mugman. The spotlight shined over Cuphead.

“You! You’re the next contestant on Roll the Dice!” King Dice announced.

Cuphead excitedly ran to the stage and hugged Dice’s leg.

Bendy looked down and, once seeing Cuphead on stage, spat out all the root beer he had just drunk and started coughing.

“Welcome to the show!” King Dice said. “Now, let go of my leg and tell us a little bit about yourself.”

Cuphead grabbed the mic. “My name is Cuphead, I like roller coasters, and hot dogs, and tilt-a-whirl, and hot dogs, and flying swings and hot dogs, and throwing up on roller coasters in that order!” he said.

King Dice took the mic back. “What a lovely introduction. I–”

Cuphead took the mic back. “Wow! I can’t believe I’m standing next to THE King Dice!” he said. “You’re way shorter in person.”

The audience laughed at the remark.

“What’s he doing here?” Bendy wondered.

The dice took the mic back from the cup.

“Wait,” Cuphead said. “Everyone in town can hear this, right?”

“That’s right.” King Dice answered. “First...”

Cuphead grabbed the mic from King Dice and made a raspberry. “That’s for you, Jimmy! And you know what for. So, Dice, you’re an entertainer, right? I’m kind of entertaining too. I got a joke for you. These two cannibals are eating a clown, and, uh... Wait. How did it go? Uh... Wait.”

Bendy was getting worried. ‘If Cuphead competes, he’ll lose his soul. And he won’t be as fun to mess with if he’s soulless, right?’ Bendy thought about playing with a soulless Cuphead and... nope, not as fun.

Meanwhile, Dice realized that this cup was the same one that The Devil wanted to get. With a smile on his face, he grabbed the mic back from Cuphead.

“Now, a quick word from our sponsor. We’ll be right back.” The dice said as he ran off the stage.

Cuphead, still on stage, waved to the audience.

Bendy got up, got out of the box seat room, and searched for King Dice. He found him on the phone. Bendy hid and eavesdropped.

In the Underworld, The Devil was enjoying a relaxing bubble bath with slices of cucumber over his eyes.

Henchman held up the telephone. “Uh, hey, boss. Phone call.” He said.

The Devil frowned but grabbed the phone anyway. “Urgh. This better be important.” He said.

“It’s your number one calling,” Dice said.

“Who?”

“Very funny...”

Bendy smirked. He couldn’t hear it, but he knew it was his father on the other line.

“Oh yes, Dice. Is Bendall alright up there?” The Devil said.

“He’s fine and he’s loving the show.” King Dice said.

Bendy rolled his eyes.

“Uh-huh.” The Devil said. “Look, I’m very busy so if you have nothing better to report then I’m just gonna-”

“Just a minute Big D, I was calling to let you know I just captured someone you might be interested in. A certain... cup?”

The Devil sat up and the cucumber slices fell off his eyes. “You actually have him?” he asked.

“Just sit back, relax, and I’ll deliver his soul directly to you.”

“And this is why you’re my number one. Oh, and number one?”

“Yes?”

“I hate disappointment.” The Devil said before he hung up the phone and relaxed back in the tub.

As King Dice went back to the stage, Bendy snuck back into the box seat.

“Okay, pros and cons to saving Cuphead,” Bendy said to himself. “Pro; I get to keep playing with the cups. Less bored. Con; Dad will get really mad at King Dice. Might even take away the show. Hmmm,”

King Dice walked on stage. “And we’re back!” He said. “First up, you need to—”

Cuphead grabbed the mic. “Name That Tune!” he called out. 

Dice smiled as he took back the mic. He conducted the band to play a song and they played ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’.

“Oh no,” Bendy said.

Cuphead thought for a moment. “Oh, that’s too easy. It’s... Wait. I know this. Hmm... “Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Mr. Car”?” he guessed.

“What?” Bendy asked taken aback.

At the Kettle Cottage, Elder Kettle was listening to the show on his radio. “Sprinkle, Sprinkle, Mr. Car”?! Come on!” he shakes his radio.

“No.” King Dice said calmly.

“Hmm, then I better use my helpline,” Cuphead said. “My brother, Mugman, is the smartest person I know.” He pointed towards his brother in the audience.

As soon as the spotlight shined on him, Mugman froze with a terrified expression on his face.

“Well, it appears your helpline is frozen in terror.” King Dice said.

“Oh, right. Mugman’s got really bad stage fright. Aw, nuts! I guess I lose.” Cuphead started walking away.

The band started playing “For He’s A Jolly Good Fellow”.

“Maybe he doesn’t need my help,” Bendy wondered.

Dice signaled the band to stop playing and pulled the cup back on stage.

“Since your helpline was frozen in terror, you should get another chance. Shouldn’t he, folks?” Dice said.

The audience cheered and clapped.

King Dice leaned close to Cuphead and whispered. “What’s the name of your favorite song?”

Cuphead whispered back.

“Beautiful.” King Dice replied. He went to the band and whispered something before going back to Cuphead. “Okay, Cuphead. Name this tune.”

The band started playing a tune.

“But you just asked me my favorite song,” Cuphead said.

“Which song?” King Dice asked.

“The... Daring Young Man on the Flying Trapeze?” Cuphead answered.

“Correct!” King Dice announced.

“That piece of—!” Bendy said. “I won’t let Dice get Cuphead. He is my plaything and no one’s taking him from me.” He ran out of the box seat room, melted his body down to sneak past security, and went backstage.

“And now, on to the–” King Dice said before he was cut off by Cuphead taking the mic.

“Trivia round!” Cuphead said.

King Dice took the mic back. “Isn’t he great, folks?” he said.

While Dice asked the trivia question, Bendy found a wrench and the giant dice stand. He climbed up the stand and started messing with the pipe that held the dice up.

Suddenly, the stand was pulled up to the stage.

Thinking fast, Bendy grasped one of the dices with the wrench between his teeth.

The audience clapped after Cuphead answered the trivia question.

“Now, it’s time to Roll the Dice!” King Dice said. “Roll any number and go straight to the mystery prize room. Literally, any number. It’s basically impossible to lose.”

“And then I’ll get what’s coming to me!” Cuphead said.

“Couldn’t have said it better myself.” King Dice replied with a sinister smile on his face.

Bendy knew that if he moved now, he’d be exposed, but if he didn’t move, he’d be spinning with the dice and then exposed. He felt Cuphead move the dice slightly, he tightened his claws against the dice, ready for the spin-

“Wait!” Cuphead suddenly shouted. “I remember how the joke goes!” He took King Dice’s mic and walked away from the dice stand much to the dice’s annoyance. “Two cannibals are hanging out eating their lunch, which is a clown, you see? ‘Cause, they’re cannibals. And one cannibal says to the other cannibal “Does this taste funny to you?””

The crowd laughed and no one noticed the black mass slipping away from the dice.

Cuphead snapped his finger and winked at the audience.

“We’ll be right back.” The cup said. 

“No! We are not going to break!” King Dice shouted. He picked up Cuphead and placed him next to the dices. “Roll the Dice!” he ordered.

The people chanted. “Roll the Dice! Roll the Dice!”

Cuphead placed his hands on the dices. “Watch this.” He said before he spun them.

The dices spun so hard and fast before they suddenly popped off the stand and shattered after hitting the ground.

King Dice looked on in shock and his mustache came undone before he fell to his knees and picked up tiny fragments of the dices. “H-how?” he said.

“Aw, dang it. I guess I lost.” Cuphead said.

“Oh, that’s actually a good thing,” Dice said. “When the dice shatter, you go directly to the mystery prize room, yay! In you go.” He tried to push Cuphead into the prize room.

“Hey! He lost!” Elephant said in the audience. “He’s not supposed to get a prize.”

“This show is rigged!” Female Elephant exclaimed.

The audience started booing.

“You shut up!” Dice exclaimed back. “Get in there!”

The audience kept booing.

“Rigged?” Cuphead said before he huffed and walked off the stage. He grabbed a frozen Mugman and carried him under his arm. “Come on, Mugsy. Let’s leave with our dignity intact.” He walked up the stairs that led out of the building.

“No! You have to win!” King Dice exclaimed. He broke a piece of the set, “You’re going in that room one way or another.” He charged for Cuphead, but suddenly the tire that the brothers chased into the building bounced on stage, knocked Dice down, and rolled the brothers out of the building.

Bendy chuckled from behind the prop before he melted down and slipped away.

Dice slowly got up before he heard a familiar ringing sound.

DING

The dice turned his head and saw the Underworld elevator.

Henchman stepped out of the elevator. “Uh, Boss wants to see ya,” He said.

Dice sighed defeatedly.

“Hi Henchman,” Bendy said as he walked up to the elevator.

Meanwhile, the tire took Cuphead and Mugman back to the Kettle Cottage. Elder Kettle stepped outside, looking annoyed.

“It’s “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”!” Kettle yelled.

Meanwhile, Henchman, Bendy, and King Dice were going down to the underworld via the Underworld elevator.

Henchman looked particularly excited to see the celebrity while Dice looked worried. Probably because his career was in jeopardy.

“Uh, gee, Mr. King Dice, sir, I know this is a little bit awkward, but, um, could I get your autograph?” Henchman asked.

“Not the time,” Dice said.

“There may not be another time after this,” Bendy hinted.

As soon as the door opened, Dice stepped out, looking confident. “Hey-hey! Oh, um...” His confidence was quickly dashed though once he looked around the intimidating throne room. “You’re way over there.” He said as he walked down the hall towards the throne.

Along the way, there was a fire burning behind tall columns and three tapestries depicting The Devil in three different forms causing chaos and mayhem. The throne was facing away from Dice.

“Done some redecorating, I see. Uh...” King Dice said sweat droplets drop around his head. “Say, um, how—”

“So, Dice,” The Devil interjected. “you know Henchman, don’t you?”

Henchman waved. “Hi!” he said.

“Yeah. I know Henchman.” Dice replied.

“He’s a big fan of your show. Never misses an episode.” The Devil said.

King Dice gulped nervously. “Is... is that a fact?” he asked.

“He was telling me that tonight, you had your first loss. Ever.”

“Look, I can explain!” Dice said as he tugged on his shirt collar.

“Silence!” The Devil exclaimed. His throne turned around, but he wasn’t there.

“We should go,” Henchman whispered to Bendy and patted his back.

“No. I want to watch this.” Bendy whispered back not taking his eyes off the scene.

The Devil reappeared behind King Dice who screamed at the sight of the big devil.

“You had him right in the palm of your hand!” The Devil yelled at Dice. He picked the host up telekinetically with the pitchfork. “I am very, very disappointed!”

King Dice flailed his arms around as he floated. “Give a second chance to your number one!” he pleaded.

The Devil dropped Dice on his face.

“You are no longer my number one.” The big devil said. “And you will not be hosting your precious little show.”

“But if I’m not hosting, then who?” Dice asked.

A loud burp cut through the air. The two grownups turned their heads and looked towards the elevator.

“Henchman!” The Devil exclaimed.

“Duh that wasn’t me, boss,” Henchman said.

Bendy opened his mouth to speak only for another burp to come out of his mouth.

Henchman smelled the air. “Little boss... why do your burps smell like hot dogs and root beer?” he asked in suspicion.

The little devil tried to come up with a lie. “I... I was just- uh... Say, Dad!” Bendy said before he ran to The Devil. “I know who can run the show.”

Later...

The announcer declares at the show. “Ladies and gentlemen! Tonight’s master of ceremonies, the Henchman!”

“Break a leg Henchman,” Bendy said as he stood backstage.

Henchman stepped on the stage wearing a tight-fitted purple jacket.

“Uh, hi! Time to Roll the D... Whoa!” Henchman said before he tripped and fell into a tuba.

Bendy shrugged. “Eh. Worth a shot,” he said.

Chapter Text

Bendy was fast asleep, holding his Boris doll, but he suddenly started tossing and turning.

The little devil was in a dark room. A door opened and a faceless woman stepped in. She was wearing a black skirt, a blue top, and black pumps. She pulled out the wolf doll from behind her back.

“Here Bendy, I got this for you,” the woman said. “His name is Boris.”

Bendy took the doll happily. “Thank you,” he said. He hugged the toy as the woman patted his head.

Suddenly, the room turned pitch black. The woman disappeared along with Boris and the room filled with black ink. Bendy struggled to keep his head above the ink but he was quickly submerged.

“Bendy!” the woman cried out.

Bendy woke up. “NO!” he shouted. He hugged his wolf doll and curled up tightly. “I’m sorry...” he said, shaking. “I’m so sorry...”

Later, Cuphead and Mugman were laughing as they left the movie theatre. The sign for movie playing read “Hideous Zombies”.

“Zombies are not as scary as I thought they’d be,” Mugman said.

“I’m proud of ya. You only needed to change your pants three times.” Cuphead said.

“A new record,” Mugman said proudly.

“Stop! Look!” Cuphead said pointing ahead of them.

They saw kitten Bendy with a picnic basket and a small bouquet of red roses walking into the old creepy cemetery.

“What’s he doing?” Mugman wondered.

“Let’s follow him and ask,” Cuphead said.

They walked into the cemetery, but their friend had vanished.

“Where’d he go?” Mugman asked.

They looked around but didn’t see the kitten.

“Eh, let’s just keep going. We’ll find him,” Cuphead said.

“But shouldn’t we be getting home?” Mugman asked.

“It’s gettin’ late, and the cottage is just on the other side of the cemetery,” Cuphead said. “Why? You’re not scared, are you?”

“No way, not a record-breaker like me.”

“Atta boy Mugsy,”

They started walking further into the cemetery.

“Sure, is a lot of tombstones,” Mugman said.

“Uh-huh,” Cuphead said.

They looked around as they walked and saw creepy statues, tombstones, and the abandoned mortuary house. They were smiling as they walked, looking undisturbed by their surroundings.

“Really starting to get dark now,” Cuphead said.

“Some might find that unsettling, but not me,” Mugman said.

The sky grew darker, and the cups quickened their steps as they talked.

“Good thing we’re both so brave.”

“I can’t think of a time I’ve been less scared.”

“Nothing scary about a graveyard.”

“It’s just a yard.”

“For playing.”

“We have a yard at home.”

“We should vacation here.”

“We should live here!”

“I never wanna leave!”

A strike of lightning hit behind them followed by the sound of a thunderclap, and the boys started running and screaming.

Not far from them, Bendy lifted his head when he heard the screaming. He turned his head and spotted the cups. “What are they doing here?” He wondered. Putting the bouquet in the basket, he ran after them.

Unfortunately, the kitten wasn’t the only one who noticed the screaming cups. Three ghosts were playing cards before they spotted the three boys.

There was a small, big-nosed ghost named Duke wearing a suit. A tall female ghost named Emma dressed in Victorian fashion with her hair tied up in a bun. And a fat ghost named Jasper wearing overalls with a saw embedded into his head.

“Well, I know what we’re doing tonight,” Duke said.

“Things just got a lot more interesting,” Emma said.

“Go fish!” Jasper said.

Duke slapped Jasper before all three ghosts followed invisibly after the cups and kitten.

Cuphead and Mugman almost reached the exit but then the gate slammed shut right in front of them.

“Guys!” Bendy shouted.

Cuphead and Mugman jumped, screamed, and huddled together in fear until they saw Bendy behind them.

Cuphead breathed a sigh of relief. “Oh Bendy, it’s you.” He said.

“What are you two doing here?” Bendy asked.

“We... um,” Mugman muttered.

“We followed you, but you vanished,” Cuphead said.

“And then we ran but now the exit just closed right in front of us!” Mugman said. He tries to pry the door open.

“You followed me? Why?” Bendy asked.

“We wanted to see what you were up to. What’s with the basket?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy hid the basket. “Nothin’,” he said.

“Oh, no, no, no! It won’t budge!” Mugman said.

Bendy sighed before he handed the picnic basket to Cuphead. “Do not drop this.” He said sternly. “Let me try.”

Mugman stepped aside and Bendy tried to pull the gate open. Cuphead handed the basket to the mug.

“Do not drop this,” Cuphead said. He wrapped his arms around Bendy’s waist and pulled him.

Mugman placed the basket on the ground, wrapped his arms around Cuphead, and helped pull.

The three ghosts watched as the gate slowly opened.

“It’s working!” Mugman said excitedly.

“Oh no you don’t,” Duke whispered.

The small ghost turned invisible and tickled Bendy’s sides. The kitten started chuckling and his grip loosened on the gate.

“What’s so funny?” Cuphead asked, confused.

Eventually, Bendy’s fingers slipped off the bars, and the three boys tumbled backward. They ended up in a pile.

“What did you let go for?” Mugman asked.

“Because Cuphead was tickling me,” Bendy replied.

“No, I wasn’t!” Cuphead argued.

“Well, something did,” Bendy said. “Wait, the basket!” Bendy scrambled out, grabbed the picnic basket, and checked the contents. He was relieved that it was okay.

Mugman rushed to the gate. “Maybe we could try again?” he suggested.

“I don’t think so,” Bendy said. “That thing is stuck,”

“You mean... We’re trapped!?” Mugman said in horror.

Thunder clapped overhead.

“Okay, let’s all just calm down,” Cuphead said. “There’s no reason to panic or get upset, okay?”

“Okay,” Bendy agreed.

“Mugman?” Cuphead said.

“But what about g-g-ghosts?” Mugman asked as he shook in fear.

“Ah, banana oil! Ghosts ain’t real!” Cuphead said.

The smaller ghost chuckled. “You hear that? We ain’t real,” he said.

“We ain’t?” Jasper asked in a panic.

Emma shook her head while Duke slapped Jasper. Emma shushed them.

“Looks like we’re stuck,” Cuphead said. “Someone will come and open the gates in the morning. Till then, we’ll spend the night and make the best of it.”

“Fine by me,” the kitten shrugged.

“S-s-spend the night? But what about the ghosts?” Mugman said.

“Mugman relax. I’ve been in this cemetery a few times before and I’ve never seen a ghost here. We’ll be fine.” Bendy said as he walked to the wooded area. “C’mon, we can make camp here without disturbing any graves.”

Cuphead and Mugman followed Bendy.

“I don’t like this, you guys. I’m allergic to dead people.” Mugman said.

“For the last time, Mugsy. Ghosts ain’t real!” Cuphead said. “Now you two clear a spot, and I’m gonna get some firewood.”

“Actually, I have to go somewhere too,” Bendy said.

“We’re all separating?” Mugman asked horrified.

“Well, do you wanna come with me into the deep, dark woods?” Cuphead asked as he pointed out the spooky-looking forest.

“Or with me back into the cemetery?” Bendy asked as he pointed towards the tombstones.

Mugman shook. “Is there another, less terrifying option?” he asked.

Cuphead placed a hand on Mugman’s shoulder. “Look, don’t worry. It’ll be just like the movie. You think you’re gonna be scared, but then it won’t be so bad. ‘Cause why?”

“‘Cause I’m a big, strong man?” Mugman replied.

Bendy had to bite his lip to keep himself from laughing.

“Well, sure. But also, because ghosts ain’t real.” Cuphead said.

“They better not be. I’m all outta spare pants.”

“Spare pants?” Bendy asked.

“Don’t ask,” the brothers said at the same time.

“Fine, I’ll just go do my thing and come back later,” Bendy said.

“Wait! Can’t it wait just a little bit? Please,” Mugman asked.

The kitten sighed. “Okay, okay,” Bendy said. “I guess I can wait with Mugman.”

“Okay, I’ll be back later,” Cuphead said. He walked away into the woods and disappeared into the fog.

Bendy placed the basket down and sat on the log while Mugman started shaking again. An owl’s hoot made the mug yelp.

“Owl in the tree,” Bendy said as he pointed his finger upward.

Mugman looked up and saw an owl in the tree. He laughed nervously.

Cuphead was gathering firewood, “Typical Mugman. Always getting himself worked up over nothing.” He said.

Behind him, Jasper snapped a twig making Cuphead jump in fright. Emme blew air against the cup’s back.

“Who’s there?” Cuphead asked.

Jasper tickled him.

Cuphead chuckled, threw his firewood in the air, and then it fell on his head. Slightly dizzy, Cuphead was on the ground, groaning, before two ghosts suddenly appeared.

“Hello.” Jasper greeted.

Cuphead screamed before he ran away.

Mugman and Bendy were sitting on the log together. Bendy waited impatiently while Mugman whistled but everywhere he looked he saw one scary image after another. He decides to distract himself another way.

“So, what’s with the picnic basket?” Mugman asked Bendy.

“It’s for a friend,” Bendy said as he looked at the floor.

“Really? Who?”

“Just an old friend I meet here on occasion.”

“Here, in the cemetery?”

“Yeah. She’s around here.”

“Oh, she’s here? Why didn’t you say anything before? She could have joined us.”

“No, she couldn’t.

“What do you mean?”

“IMEANSHE-!” He nearly screamed in frustration before he took a breath and finally faced the mug. “I mean she’s here but she’s... you know.” Bendy gestured to the tombstones.

Mugman’s eyes widened with the realization. “I’m so sorry,” Mugman said. “I shouldn’t have...”

“No. You didn’t do anything.” Bendy interjected softly.

Mugman paused for a moment. “Were you close?” he asked.

Bendy nodded. “I miss her. It’s been a long time, but I can’t help but visit her whenever I think about her.”

“I think it’s sweet that you visit her, even if it’s in less-than-ideal surroundings,” Mugman said as he looked around.

“C’mon Mugman, a graveyard isn’t that scary.”

“Really ‘cause everywhere I look I see... Scary branches, scary trees, scary glowing eyes, scary-!”

Mugman and Bendy saw a pair of glowing eyes on the tree. Mugman screamed in fright and cowered away but Bendy smiled.

“Mugman, look,” Bendy said.

The mug opened his eyes and saw that the glow was fireflies that now surrounded the two boys. Bendy managed to catch one and held it in his hands.

“Like I said, it’s not that scary,” Bendy said as he looked at the firefly.

Mugman giggled. “Maybe you and Cuphead were right.”

“Exactly,” Bendy said.

“And it is kinda peaceful out here. Just the sounds of the wind, the moonlight, the owl, the...”

“Disembodied voice behind you...”

Mugman and Bendy froze when they heard that voice and the fireflies flew away. Then the mug looked annoyed.

“Real cute, Cuphead. Ha, ha, ha. Hilarious.” Mugman said with sarcasm.

Under them, Duke tied Mugman’s shoelaces together.

“I know you’re trying to scare me, but I’m not falling for your-” he’s cut off as he tripped over. “...tricks.”

Bendy covered his mouth, trying to hold back a laugh.

“Did you do this?” Mugman asked annoyed as he untied his shoes.

“Not me,” Bendy said as he hopped off the log and helped the mug back on his feet.

Mugman turned around, “Okay, Cuphead, come on out. This isn’t funny.”

“I thought it was very funny. But I ain’t never heard of no Cuphead.” Duke said before he appeared before the two boys. “Top of the evening loves.”

Mugman and Bendy were stunned. Mugman’s nose fell off and he ran away but he came back for his nose and dragged the kitten with him.

“Whoa! Mugman, let me go!” Bendy yelled.

But Mugman didn’t listen and screamed out for Cuphead. All three grunted as Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy ran into each other. They’re all on the floor now, groaning before Cuphead shook his head.

“Mugman, Bendy, I don’t wanna alarm ya’, but I think I saw a-”

“Ghosts!” Mugman screamed and pointed out the ghosts behind them.

The three ghosts were looming over the boys.

Cuphead and Mugman clung to each other, chattered their teeth in fear... But Bendy was smiling up at the specters and his tail wagged side to side.

“Oh, my dark star! Ghosts!” Bendy said excitedly.

“Don’t believe what you heard ‘Cause here is the deal~” Duke sang as he floated around the boys.

Then came Emma swooping in. “There is no need to panic ‘cause~”

“Ghosts ain’t real!~” All three ghosts sang together and made scary faces.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright. Dragging the not-scared Bendy along, the brothers ran away. They hid behind a tombstone but were quickly found by the ghosts.

“I don’t believe in ghosts~” Duke sang.

“They don’t give me a fright~” Emma sang.

“I don’t believe in anything That bumpity-bumps in the night!~” Jasper sang.

Jasper blew a raspberry at the boys. The cup brothers yelped in fear and ran away with Bendy, who was still smiling.

As they run, the ghosts pretend they are riding an invisible bike alongside the boys.

“If you see things That you can’t explain~” Duke sang.

“Best to ignore them~” Emma sang.

“Or go insane!~” Jasper sang.

Tombstones started singing. “Whoo-oo-oo!~”

Cuphead and Mugman kept screaming.

“You said they ain’t real! They seem pretty real!~” Mugman sang.

An evil tree and bats started singing. “Whoo-oo-oo!~”

“Listen, Mugman, we’re caught in a jam! Pipe down ‘cause we gotta scram!~” Cuphead sang.

The boys ran as the ghosts continued their songs.

“I don’t believe in ghosts They don’t give me a fright I don’t believe in anything That bumpity-bumps in the night I don’t believe in spooks But when I’m all alone I’ve heard mysterious things That bang and clang and groan~”

The boys ran into a mausoleum and closed the door behind them.

The three ghosts looked on excitedly, but Emma seemed concerned.

“Did you see the kitten? He wasn’t the least bit scared of us.” Emma said.

“Don’t worry about it, Emma,” Duke said. “Two outta’ three ain’t so bad. Besides, we still have our friends in the mausoleum. Maybe they’ll get lucky.”

Inside the mausoleum, the cups were shaking with fear while Bendy was smiling.

“That was amazing!” Bendy said. “And the song was a nice touch.”

“How are you not scared?” Cuphead asked.

“‘Cause I don’t get scared so easily... unlike some people.”

The sound of chattering teeth grew louder.

“Hey, I ain’t the one who- dang it, Mugsy!” Cuphead said. “Would you stop chattering your teeth? I can’t hear myself think.”

“My teeth aren’t chattering,” Mugman said.

Cuphead lit a match, and the boys saw that they were surrounded by a bunch of skeletons chattering their teeth.

This time all three of the boys screamed before Mugman blew out the match.

Torches suddenly sparked with fire, lighting the room, and five skeletons started dancing to upbeat Hispanic music echoing in the room.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy slowly backed away against the crypt.

The crypt opened and a skeleton wearing a dress, a flowery veil, and makeup came out. She grabbed Mugman’s arm and pulled him closer while making kissing noises.

Mugman screamed then Bendy and Cuphead pulled him away until the skeleton’s arm bones snapped off.

The boys screamed and ran away from the mausoleum. Running away, the boys failed to notice the first three ghosts watching them. Soon many more ghosts chased the boys, wailing, cackling, and laughing sinisterly. The boys ran into the abandoned mortuary house. They ran up the stairs but the wood under Bendy broke and he fell into the hole.

SPLASH

“Bendy!” Cuphead screamed. He and Mugman skidded to a stop and investigated the hole Bendy fell into. They can barely see what is in there.

Bendy resurfaced from the dirty water from the huge brass water container and gasped while flailing his arms around.

“Bendy, are you okay?” Cuphead yelled.

Bendy managed to get to the edge of the container and wiped the water off his face... but stopped when he remembered his drawn nose. He looked at his gloves and saw the stains.

“Bendy!” Cuphead cried out.

“I’m fine!” Bendy replied. “Just wet!”

“We’ll come down there!” Mugman called out.

“No! You guys get out of the cemetery! I’ll be alright!” Bendy yelled trying to hide his panic and his face.

Cuphead and Mugman can just make out Bendy’s image with the faint light.

“We can’t just leave you here,” Mugman called out.

“Get out of here. I’ll be fine!”

“But Bendy-”

“I said GET OUT!” Bendy yelled as he looked up at the cup and mug.

Cuphead and Mugman are stunned by what they saw.

Bendy’s eyes were glowing a bright reddish-orange color, his cat nose was gone, and his usually square teeth were now sharp fangs. The boys screamed and ran up the stairs.

It only took Bendy a second to realize what he had just done and buried his face into his arms. He felt a hand pat him on the shoulder but when he turned his head, he saw the hand was made of bones.

Cuphead and Mugman ran up the stairs higher and higher until they ended up in a void of darkness. 

Floating in the air, Mugman cried out. “We gotta find a way out of here!”

Emma came floating up to them. “Here’s the way out.” She said as she showed them a door.

Cuphead opened it, revealing a train coming toward them. He slammed the door closed before it reached them.

Duke came up with another door. “Here. Try this one.” He said.

Mugman opened the door and inside was the Grim Reaper about to swing his scythe at them. The brothers slammed the door closed and screamed.

Jasper floated up to them with another door. “Over here. Over here.” He said.

Cuphead opened the door, revealing a screaming woman, and this made the brothers scream back. They closed the door and ran. They soon found a stairway and kept running up. The ghosts suggested opening new doors, but Cuphead and Mugman refused them every time. Then they jumped out a window, which turned out to be on the highest floor of the house, and they fell and screamed. They landed on the ground with a thud.

Duke looked out the shattered window. “Now do you believe in—AH!” he said before he screamed. He saw Cuphead and Mugman lying motionless on the ground far below.

Jasper wiggled his finger making a ‘Boo’ sound before Duke slapped him.

“Knock it off,” Duke said. “We got a real problem here.”

All the ghosts exclaimed when they saw the cup brothers. Duke, Emma, and Jasper slowly approached the motionless cups on the ground.

“One minute, we’re all having fun. The next minute, two cups are dead.” Emma said sadly.

“Oh, them poor little cups,” Jasper said.

“Shall we say a few words then?” Duke suggested. He turned around to face the cups, but they had disappeared. “Huh? They’re gone!”

Cuphead and Mugman, who were not dead, slipped under a hole in the stone wall and ran back to the cottage as quickly as they could. Once they were in, they finally relaxed even though they were scuffed, dirtied, and had black eyes.

“We made it,” Cuphead said.

“Safe at last,” Mugman said.

Suddenly they heard Elder Kettle screaming. The kettle was pointing at the brothers.

“Hideous zombies!” Kettle exclaimed.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed as Elder Kettle tried to hit them with his cane as he screamed.

“Die, zombies, die!”

Meanwhile...

Bendy was running through the cemetery, but the skeletons were nearly at his heels. He yelped when one of them grabbed his tail sock and pulled it off, exposing Bendy’s demon tail. He ran up a cliff, but it was too steep to climb, he turned around and saw the mob of skeletons closing in. He closed his eyes.

Just then, a huge shadow with long horns loomed over the skeletons followed by a low, haunting voice.

“Who dares frighten my precious little pest?”

Bendy opened one eye and saw the skeletons shaking before several fireballs burned them to ashes. The little devil didn’t flinch at the sight but smiled once The Devil floated down before him.

“Dad!” Bendy said before he jumped into his father’s arms.

The two devils hugged each other tightly.

“Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” The Devil asked as he inspected Bendy. “Why are you soaking wet?”

“I fell into some water and then the skeletons tried to get me,” Bendy explained.

The Devil patted his son’s back before gently placing him down on the ground. “Hold still.” He said. He pointed his pitchfork at Bendy, soon a dark cloud came out of the pitchfork, and it enveloped the little devil. Within seconds, Bendy was dried and looked like his devilish self.

“Remember that this doesn’t count as clean.” The Devil said. “You’ll have to take a bath once we get back home,”

“Strict but fair. How did you know where I was?” Bendy asked.

“A demon imp said you left with a picnic basket earlier. It wasn’t hard to figure out where you went to. Henchman and I found the basket, along with this.” The big devil pulled out a bouquet of roses. The same ones Bendy tried to hide. “You dreamed about her again, didn’t you?”

Bendy nodded, keeping his eyes down.

“C’mon, we’ll take it to the spot and settle down for a snack.” The Devil said as he held his hand to his son.

“Okay,” Bendy said.

The little devil jumped, and the big devil scooped his son up in his arms before flying away.

“I saw ghosts tonight,” Bendy said.

“Really? They never come out when we come over.” The Devil said.

“Yeah. They were trying to scare me with a song and dance.”

The two devils laughed.

They flew over a group of tombstones, at least a dozen, fenced off from the rest. Two tombstones stood at the end. One was faded and crumbling, but the other was kept in good condition.

“Here lies Audrey Drew. Beloved daughter and best friend”

Bendy placed the roses over the good grave.

“Hi, Audrey,” Bendy said.

“I’ll be by the stone,” The Devil said before he walked to a large stone with a memorial plaque. After a while, Bendy walked back to his father and they walked away together. The little devil took another look back and saw the words on the plaque one more time.

“IN MEMORIAM TO THOSE LOST IN THE GREAT JOEY DREW STUDIO FIRE”

Chapter Text

30 Years Ago...

“This is Heiferson with a special report. Last night, tragedy struck our peaceful Inkwell City. A fire broke out at Joey Drew Studios. The building burned to the ground taking the lives of several employees, including the manager of the studio Joey Drew along with his head animator and daughter Audrey Drew. The two minds behind the cartoon series. Bendy, the Dancing Demon.”

“This just in, several witnesses have come forward and have pointed out the culprits responsible for causing the fire at Joey Drew Studios. Three teenage runaways from a local orphanage, The Butcher Boys. Charley Piper, Barley Fisher, and Edgar Striker...”

“Heiferson with a special report. It has been three days since the fire at Joey Drew Studios and we have just received word that the ones responsible for the fire had just been caught and arrested by local authorities. Evidence of arson had been found in their hideout along with goods reported being stolen for months. Though they are teenagers, they will be tried as adults due to the severity of their crime...”

“Heiferson with updates of the studio fire trial. The Butcher Boys have been declared guilty by the judge. The three criminals will be held in the maximum-security prison, the Slammer, for several life sentences. This reporter is certainly happy to know that justice has prevailed, and the city will breathe a sigh of relief knowing these criminals will never cause trouble in our city ever again.”

Three Days Ago...

At one thirty in the morning, outside the Slammer, the laundry boat sailed away from the island after picking up dirty prison laundry. As the boat made it to open waters, sirens and searchlights were activated at the prison.

“There’s been a breakout!” One guard shouted.

On the boat, two men and a large spider were beating up the laundry workers. Once they had them pinned, the gang tied them up and steered the boat. Once they reached the shore, the three escapees took the truck and drove away towards the woods.

Charley, the tallest of the gang, was a nearly bald primate-like humanoid. He had green eyes, large ears, an oval-shaped head, a black animalistic nose, black sideburns, and a beard.

Barley was a human with a white beard, a big nose, bald head, a brown left eye, and he had an eyepatch over his right eye.

And Edgar, a spider-like creature with large lips, puffed cheeks, six legs, and a pair of small, pointed fangs that stuck out of his mouth.

After driving for hours, they managed to find a hiding spot in the forest and parked the truck.

“Now?” Edgar asked.

“Now,” Said Charley and Barley.

They got out of the truck and Edgar jumped around on the grass.

“Grass! I missed you,” Edgar said as he rolled around.

“Arg, beats the stone an’ dirt floors, that’s fer sure,” Barley said. “I do prefer the ocean though an’ not the woods.”

“Well, better here than back in the Slammer,” Charley said. “Besides, this is only temporary before we find a proper hideout. ‘Till then we’ll make the most of this. And find some better clothes.” He tugged on his prison shirt.

“Oh, thanks for reminding me,” Edgar said before he ripped up his prisoner uniform and threw the pieces in the air.

They stayed in the forest only going out in groups of two wearing the spare uniforms they found in the truck. They stole food, tools, and new clothes.

Charley was now wearing a black tailcoat jacket, a dark yellow vest, white shirt, black pants, a black tie, yellow gloves, and black shoes.

Barley was wearing a black sailor shirt with two yellow stripes on the sleeves, a pair of yellow gloves, black pants, a sailor hat, a brown belt with a square buckle, and black shoes. He also had a corn cob pipe in his mouth.

Edgar decided not to wear any clothes.

“Okay, now we got the threads, now let’s get some dough,” Charley said.

“Dough? But we already had breakfast boss.” Edgar said.

Charley smacked the spider upside the head.

“‘E meant money, yarr bilge rat,” Barley said. “We got some loot in the truck though,”

“Twenty bucks. That’s not enough.” Charley said. “We need more. While I was out, I found a place where we can sell some goods for cash, and the owner won’t care if it’s stolen.”

“We got nothin’ but filthy laundry an’ the truck,” Barley said.

“Hmmm, in that case,” Charley said. “We’ll just need to rob a place that might have some goods.”

“But where, Boss?” Edgar said.

Charley started pacing, “It’ll have to be somewhere far from town but close enough in the woods should in case we need to run. Someplace remote... someplace unassumin’. Someplace like...”

“The Kettle Cottage,” Elder Kettle said. “That’s right boys, today you get to dust and sweep out the whole cottage. From top to bottom.”

“Sure thing, dearest Kettle,” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“Alright, I’m going antique shopping. I’ll be home in time for dinner.” Kettle said. “Oh, and boys, be especially careful with my war medals upstairs. I earned every single one of them and I would be utterly devastated and furious if anything should happen to them.”

“Don’t you worry Elder Kettle. We’ll take care of everything.” Cuphead said. “Go enjoy yourself out on the town.”

“And when you get back the cottage will be perfect,” Mugman added.

“Good. See ya later boys.” Kettle said before he left the cottage and drove away in the truck.

Suddenly the telephone rang.

RING RING RING

“I got it!” Cuphead yelled.

“No, I got it!” Mugman yelled.

They briefly fought before Cuphead grabbed the phone and gave Mugman a smug look.

“Hello, kettle residence. This is Cuphead.” He said.

“Well hello Cuphead, this is Bendy Scratch speakin’.” He answered with a chuckle.

“Bendy?” Cuphead asked.

“It’s Bendy? Let me hear!” Mugman said.

They both tried to listen to the receiver.

“Yeah fellas, it’s me,” Bendy replied.

“Bendy, we were so worried. Are you alright?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Like I told ya’, I can take care of myself.”

“Sure, but when your eyes glowed like that we thought-”

“Glowed? Oh, that was just a trick of the light or something ghost. I don’t know.”

“Where are you now?” Cuphead asked.

“I’m in the city, just outside the theaters. I wanted to call and see if you guys wanted to join me to watch the latest picture show. I hear there’s a lot of explosions in this one.”

“Oooh! We’ll be there.” Cuphead said.

“But what about the dusting?” Mugman said.

“We can make it back to the cottage before Kettle comes home. We do a quick sweep around the place, and he’ll never know.”

Outside the window unnoticed by the cups, Charley was crouching and eavesdropping. He smirked before tiptoeing away.

“I don’t know about this Cuphead...” Mugman said.

Cuphead talked directly on the phone. “Buddy, we’ll meet you there.” He hung up the phone before he ran out the front door.

“Wait Cuphead!” Mugman yelled before he chased after Cuphead.

They ran out the door and jumped the fence. But before they got far, Cuphead and Mugman bumped into Edgar, and the boys fell on their backs. When the boys saw the spider and his fangs, they screamed.

“Whoa, are you two, okay?” Charley said with feigned concern. Each of the gang members was wearing fake mustaches. “Let me help you up,” he said.

“Thanks, mister,” Cuphead said.

“Yeah, thanks,” Mugman said.

The tall man helped the cups back on their feet. “Don’t worry about my friend here,” he said. “He may be a spider but he’s harmless.”

“Yeah, sorry if I scared you,” Edgar said.

“No problem but why are you parked in front of our cottage?” Mugman asked.

“Sorry about that, but our truck ran out of carburetor fluid on our way to town,” Charley said. “Ain’t that right Bradley?”

“Yarr, she be runnin’ low, she be,” Barley said.

“If you guys need help, we have some extra carburetor fluid in the cottage,” Mugman offered.

“Really? I wouldn’t you to go to any trouble.” Charley said.

“No, really. Be right back.” Mugman said.

A few minutes later, Barley poured the fluid into the truck.

“Thanks a lot, kid,” Charley said. “Allow me to introduce us. I’m Chad, this is Eddy, and you know Brad’s name.”

“Hi,” Edgar said.

“Ahoy,” Barley greeted.

“Nice to meet you, but we gotta go,” Cuphead said. “We’re meeting our friend at the picture show.”

“No, we should stay and clean the cottage,” Mugman said.

“But he’s expectin’ us at the movies.”

“And Kettle is expecting us to sweep and dust the cottage,”

“Movies!”

“Cottage!”

“Movies!”

“Cottage!”

“HEY!” Charley exclaimed angrily.

The cup brothers stopped yelling and stared at Charley.

The tall man cleared his throat. “Sorry. But you two are in luck. My associates and I happen to be professional house cleaners.” Charley said.

“We are?” Edgar wondered. Barley stepped on one of the spider’s many feet and Edgar winced in pain. “I mean. Yeah, cleaners,” he said through the pain.

“We can clean yer cottage fer ye fer free,” Barley said.

“You could?” Mugman asked.

“You would?” Cuphead asked.

“Sure,” Charley said as he ushered the boys to the road leading to the city. “Just let us grown-ups take care of the cleaning while you kids have a good time at the movies.”

“Gee thanks,” Mugman said.

Charley smirked as the cups walked away.

“Hey guys!” Cuphead said.

The gang put on friendly smiles as they looked at the cup.

“Be sure to leave before sunset, if you can,” Cuphead said. “Can’t have Elder Kettle see ya, okay?”

“No problem,” Charley said.

The brothers walked away, and the gang snickered.

“Okay boys let’s get to work,” Charley said to Barley and Edgar as he rubbed his hands together.

The brothers ran until they reached the theater. Bendy was waiting for them at the front.

“There you are,” Bendy said. “I almost went in without ya,”

“Sorry, just had to take care of somethin’,” Cuphead said.

The three boys went into the theater, got snacks, and Cuphead sat between Bendy and Mugman. For some reason, Cuphead felt excited but not for the movie... but maybe it’s because he was sitting next to Bendy, and their hands were almost close enough to touch. He glanced over to see Bendy as the lights turned off and the light of the screen made the smiling kitten almost glow. Cuphead felt his heart racing.

“Cuphead?” Mugman whispered.

Cuphead whipped his head around. “What?” he asked.

“Are you okay?” the mug asked. “You look kinda flushed.”

“I’m fine,” Cuphead said as he tugged on his collar. “I’m just a bit winded from the run that’s all.”

“Ugh, they’re starting with a newsreel,” Bendy said.

“Good afternoon, Inkwell citizens, this is the latest news report. Three dangerous convicts known as ‘The Butcher Gang’ have escaped the Slammer less than a week ago.”

Bendy sat up and looked intently at the screen.

“These criminals were responsible for the great Studio Fire thirty years ago this year. If you see these three individuals, steer clear and contact the authorities immediately.”

Mugshots of Charley, Barley, and Edgar appeared on the screen.

“Boy, they look really bad,” Mugman said shaking. “I’d hate to run into those guys.”

“Relax Mugsy, what are the chances of us ever meeting those maroons?” Cuphead said.

A bunch of people booed and hissed when they saw the gang. One person threw their soda over Charley’s face, and it left a mark on his upper lip.

Cuphead tilted his head. “Kinda looks like he’s gotta mustache,” he said with a chuckle.

Mugman chuckled. “Yeah, he kinda looks like...”

The cup boys gasped when a realization hit them.

Bendy laughed at the screen. “Did you guys see that?” he asked and turned his head, but the cup brothers were gone. “Guys?” he looked back and saw Cuphead and Mugman running out of the theater. “Guys!” he yelled.

“Shhh!” one person said.

“You Shhh!” Bendy snapped.

Cuphead and Mugman ran out of the theater and headed home as quickly as they could.

“Please don’t be them! Please don’t be them! Please don’t be them!” They chanted.

“Fellas! Wait up!” Bendy said as he ran after them.

The boys skidded to a stop once they reached the cottage. The laundry truck was gone but the front door was wide open. They gasped and ran into the cottage. To their horror, the cottage was ransacked. The couch and chairs were toppled over, and random things were scattered everywhere.

“They tore up the cottage,” Mugman said in shock.

“Maybe we can fix it before Elder Kettle gets back.” Cuphead wondered.

Bendy finally caught up to the cup brothers in the cottage. “What the heck you two?” he asked. “Why did y-? Oh! Wow!” he looked around the living room of the cottage. “What happened here? Did you two fight again?”

“We were robbed... again,” Mugman said.

“Really? You’ve been robbed before?” Bendy asked.

“Yeah, but not this bad, no thanks to Cuphead.”

“Hey, he looked like a legit handyman!” Cuphead said.

“Not him! The three dangerous criminals you let clean out our house!”

“Hey! You can’t just blame this time! We both walked away and left the Butcher Gang alone with the cottage!”

“Ugh! True,”

“Wait! You mean The Butcher Gang were here!?” Bendy asked.

“Yeah! They tricked us-” Cuphead said.

“Especially that Chad- or Charley, or whoever-” Mugman added.

“Saying they were cleaners-”

“And the cottage needed dusting-”

“And now Kettle’s gonna see this-”

“And he’s probably gonna ground us forever!”

“Okay, okay,” Bendy said. “Let’s just try to calm down. We’ll clean up and just hope that nothing too valuable was stolen. Do you guys have anything worth stealing here?”

The boys looked at each other before they ran into the kitchen. They checked the utensils drawer first and all the silverware was gone. They looked around the living room and couldn’t find Elder Kettle’s radio. Then the cup and mug ran upstairs and gasped loudly. All Elder Kettle’s war medals were gone, and the boys fainted.

Bendy walked up behind them.

“We’re dead,” Cuphead said. “They took all the valuables. Including the medals,”

“When Elder Kettle finds out, he’ll be utterly devastated,” Mugman said.

“And furious,” Cuphead added. “We’ve gotta get them all back!”

“We should call the police,” Mugman said.

The three boys ran downstairs and reached for the telephone but when they picked up the phone, they saw the line had been cut.

“Maybe we should run to the police station and let them handle it,” Mugman suggested.

“That’ll take too long! We gotta get the stuff back now before Elder Kettle comes home,” Cuphead said.

“But how are we supposed to find them?”

“Hey guys,” Bendy said from the door. “I think I found something.”

The boys ran outside the fence. “Look,” Bendy said as he pointed to a black spot on the ground.

Cuphead poked it, it stained his glove, and he smelled it. “Carburetor fluid.” He said before he looked ahead. “And there’s more!”

A trail of black spots led into the forest.

“Let’s go!” Cuphead said before he ran but was stopped by Mugman grabbing his handle. “Hey!”

“Cuphead, they’re dangerous criminals,” Mugman said. “We can’t just go after them ourselves,”

“Sure, we can. What would be worse, facing dangerous criminals or a furious Elder Kettle?”

Mugman cringed. “But we’re just two kids,” he said.

“Not true. We also got a bear-wrestling, sharp-clawed, not-easily-scared cat friend with us,” Cuphead pulled Bendy closer by the arm.

“Uh, I don’t think I can go with you guys this time,” Bendy said backing away.

“But-”

“I can’t be near those guys...” Bendy said.

“But-”

“I mean we shouldn’t be near those guys. They’re criminals... and we’re just kids... and- um...” Bendy tried to think of an excuse but it was hard to focus with Cuphead and Mugman giving him pleading looks. He groaned. “Fine, I’ll help,” Bendy said.

“Yay!” both Cuphead and Mugman cheered.

“But! If we’re doing this, you gotta do exactly what I say,” Bendy said. “And ask no questions.”

“Deal!” Cuphead said.

“Actually, I have one-” Mugman tried to say before Bendy interjected.

“And we are off, let’s go!”

The three boys followed the trail into the forest.

Later...

After they followed the trail, the boys found the Butcher Gang in a makeshift campsite with a laundry truck and a campfire. There was a bed sheet with the stolen goods lying on the ground and the gang members were chuckling as they tried on the medals.

“How do I look?” Edgar asked as he strutted.

“Not bad... For once,” Charley said.

“Oh, this one here be fer sailors,” Barley said as he pinned another medal on his shirt.

Mugman gasped. “They’re messing with Elder Kettle’s medals.” He said.

“We gotta get them back,” Cuphead said.

“If we could get them to lose the medals somehow, we could take it all and run,” Bendy said.

Just then a gust of wind blew through the trees and a howling sound filled the air.

Charley and Barley shivered and rubbed their arms.

“Damn winds,” Charley muttered.

Edgar started shaking.

“If you’re that cold Edgar just grab a sheet from the truck,” Charley said.

“Th-that’s not why I’m sh-shaking, Charley,” Edgar said. “This forest gives me the c-c-c-creeps.”

“Aye, I know ‘ow ye feel. I ‘ate the woods too,” Barley said.

“Would you two lighten up,” Charley said. “You sound like a bunch of sissies. So, it’s dark and cold. So what?”

“It’s not just that, Boss,” Edgar said. “I hear people get lost in this forest and their ghosts haunt these parts, especially on full moon nights.”

Bendy smiled widely as an idea bell rang in his head. “Wait here,” he whispered before he vanished into the shadows.

“Ah, baloney!” Charley yelled. “There’s no such things as ghosts. Besides we’ve been here for days and nothin’s happened to us,”

SNAP

“What was that?” Charley wondered after he turned his head.

Bendy just took some sheets from the truck, cut out some eye holes, and handed two of them to Cuphead and Mugman.

“Put these on and play along,” Bendy whispered.

Cuphead and Mugman winked. “Got it,” they whispered.

“Maybe it was just a branch snapping or somethin’,” Charley said.

Suddenly, a haunting voice echoed around the men.

“Who dares to intrude in our forest...”

“W-what was that?” Edgar wondered.

The gang members huddled up.

“You are standing on our resting grounds...”

Charley, Barley, and Edgar started shivering. They noticed flashes of white shifting around the trees, but they were too fast to get details.

“Who-whose out there!?” Charley yelled.

“SILENCE!”

“You have offended us...”

“Now you must pay the price!”

Edgar yelped. “Please! We meant didn’t mean to intrude!” he said.

“It been ‘is idea to camp out ‘ere!” Barley said as he pointed at Charley.

“Will you two shut it!” Charley said before he punched Barley and Edgar. “Listen uh-, ghosts’... people. Maybe we can make a deal?”

“Hmmm. Perhaps we can...”

“We can?” the butcher gang members asked in unison.

“If you leave the stuff you stole from the cottage here and leave this forest... We will consider letting you live...”

“Leave the stuff?” Charley asked.

“Well, if that’s all they want,” Edgar said as he and Barley took off the medals they were wearing.

Charley raised his right hand. “Wait, why would you want the-”

“DO NOT QUESTION US!”

The men and spider yelped.

“If you don’t leave the goods and then leave the forest... then you... will... DIE!!!”

Three ‘ghosts’ jumped out of the bushes.

The men screamed before they threw the medals down and ran for the truck. As they scrambled, the ghosts slowly approached...

But Cuphead and Mugman’s sheets got too close to the fire. One spark and the sheets start burning. The brothers yelped, then dropped and rolled.

Charley looked back and stopped to watch.

The cup brothers threw their sheets away and stomped on them to stop the fire.

Charley saw the cups and glared at them. “Barley. Edgar,” he said.

The two other gang members stopped their scrambling and saw what Charley saw.

“It’s those dumb cup kids!” the tall man said.

“Uh, no we’re not... we’re spooky ghosts,” Cuphead said in an eerie tone and waved his arms around.

“Uh, Cuphead. I don’t think they buy it,” Mugman said.

Charley grabbed both cups by their shirt collars and lifted them. “You little punks think you can mess with us!?” he yelled.

Bendy jumped and wrapped a sheet over Charley’s head. Barley and Edgar jumped in and tried to pry the kitten off, and they broke into a fight cloud. When the cloud cleared, Edgar had Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy in web cocoons, with only their heads exposed, and tied them to a tree. After everyone caught their breath, Charley walked up to the kids.

“Like I said, you little punks think you can mess with us. You’re dead wrong!” The tall man said. He saw the third one was still wearing a sheet over their head. “And that’s ours!” he ripped the sheet off, revealing Bendy’s face.

In the fight, Bendy’s cat nose got rubbed away, but the little devil didn’t notice. He just glared at the man.

Charley glared back but his angry expression slowly faded as he examined Bendy’s face.

“You...” the tall man said slowly with a look of disbelief on his face.

Realizing what was happening, Bendy grew nervous. “Uh, no!” Bendy shouted.

“You!” Charley said as he got angry.

“What’s wrong boss?” Barley said.

Charley turned his head to look at Barley and Edgar and pointed at the little devil. “This is Bendy,” he said.

“Arg! We agreed to ne’er speak that there name again!” Barley yelled.

“But this is him!” The man said. Bendy bit Charley’s finger, the tall man yowled and pulled his finger back. “Just look at him!” he pulled Bendy’s fur by the scalp, showing his face.

Barley and Edgar walked closer, a look of shock and recognition overtook their faces.

“No, it couldn’t be,” Edgar said as he shook his head.

“It can’t be! ‘Ow be ‘e still so... small?” Barley wondered.

“Bendy, what’s going on?” Cuphead asked.

“Do you know these guys?” Mugman asked.

“Know us!?” Charley scoffed. “He’s the reason we’ve been in prison for the last thirty years,”

“What!?” Bendy yelled. “You put yourselves in prison when you burned down the studio!”

“No, it was you! You set us up! Admit it!” Charley yelled.

“Liars!” Bendy shouted. “Liars!”

“Hold it!” Mugman shouted. “Bendy couldn’t have been responsible for that.”

“Yeah! He’s not a weird old guy like you guys,” Cuphead added. “He’s just a kitten.”

“Just a kitten?” Charley said. “Is that what you think he is? Just a kitten? I don’t know what he is, but I know he ain’t a normal kitten,” he glared at Bendy and let his fur go.

“He is. Ain’t ya?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy’s eyes shifted. “Well, I can purr like one,” he said.

The cups stared at Bendy.

“So, what do we do now?” Edgar asked.

“We can’t let any o’ them go,” Barley said.

“Yeah, and we got a score to settle with you,” Charley threatened the little devil directly.

Bendy hissed which made everyone flinch.

“Aye, but what about the other two?” Barley asked.

“Oh, I got an idea about these two,” Charley said before he ran back to the truck and came back with a pipe wrench and a hammer. “These outta do it.” he then used the pipe wrench to break a ceramic cup into pieces.

The boys gasped.

Charley threw the hammer toward Barley, who caught it. “You take the blue. I’ll take the red.” The tall man said as he walked closer.

“Wait, fellas!” Edgar said. Hesitation was evident in his voice. “I know we can’t have witnesses... but are we actually gonna whack some kids? We’ve never-”

“Well, times have changed Ed,” Charley interjected. “It’s time we lived up to our name as the Butcher Gang,”

“No. Leave them alone!” Bendy shouted. “They had nothing to do with it!”

Charley and Barley ignored Bendy, and Edgar covered his eyes. The men lifted their weapons over the cup and mug’s heads.

RIP

Suddenly, two giant, black, ink-dripping hands stopped the pipe wrench and hammer from touching the cup brothers. Everyone looked and saw that the hands and arms were coming from Bendy’s cocoon.

“I said... LEAVE THEM ALONE!” Bendy roared. The little devil’s fur started to liquefy, he grew slightly bigger, and his eyes were glowing reddish orange. He picked the two men up effortlessly and tossed them over to the truck.

“Guys!” Edgar cried out. He shot another web towards Bendy, but the little devil dodged it and then he punched the spider in the face with his monstrous hand. Edgar crashed into the truck.

Charley and Barley charged toward Bendy and swung their weapons, but the little devil grabbed the weapons and spun the men around.

If they weren’t stuck in cocoons and frozen with shock, Cuphead and Mugman would have run away a long time ago. Bendy kept telling them he could take care of himself, but they didn’t know he could do this! They watched as their friend beat the gang up and threw them against the truck.

“These two cups are mine!” Bendy shouted. “Understand!?”

The gang nodded their heads frantically.

“And I NEVER EVER want you anywhere near them or their cottage ever again! Ever! Now hand over their stuff! And GET LOST!”

The gang emptied their pockets and dropped the medals at Bendy’s feet before getting into the truck and driving away in fear.

Bendy roared as he shrunk down to his normal size, his eyes stopped glowing, his fur solidified, and his hands were back to normal. He looked exhausted and his breath was shallow. He slowly walked to the brothers and cut their cocoons open.

“What the heck was that?!” Cuphead asked.

“How did you do all that?” Mugman asked.

Bendy’s body swayed, and he cleared his throat but before he could speak, he felt a chill ride up his back and the hairs on the back of his head stood up.

“You two need to hide,” he said.

“What?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy grabbed Cuphead and Mugman and pushed them into a bush. “No matter what you see, do not come out until we’re both gone,” he said in a low tone.

Before the brothers could ask any questions, the ground shook and the Underworld elevator appeared in a burst of flames from the ground.

The Devil stepped out with Henchman.

“He should be around here.” The big devil said.

Cuphead and Mugman were shocked to see The Devil again, they looked at Bendy who put a finger to his lips. He then turned around and walked towards the big devil.

“Hey,” Bendy said.

“Bendall!” The Devil said. He picked up the little devil. “I heard your roaring and...” He saw the exhausted look on Bendy’s face, “Did you transform?” he asked.

“Yeah, just a little bit, but it’s okay, I’m fine,” Bendy said as he rubbed his eye.

“You look worn out. You can’t exert yourself like that son,” The Devil said.

Cuphead and Mugman took sharp breaths through their noses. The big devil lifted his head at the sound and looked in their direction. Bendy heard it too and started to panic.

“D-dad, on second thought, I really don’t feel good,” Bendy said. “Can we go home now? Please?”

“But I thought I heard-”

“Please?” the little devil pleaded.

“Okay, okay, we’ll go but I expect an explanation later little devil,” The Devil conceded. He carried Bendy into the elevator.

“Yes Dad,” Bendy said.

When the elevator disappeared, the brothers came out of the bush.

“Did he say... Dad!?” Mugman asked.

“Little devil...” Cuphead said.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar had been driving for miles before finally stopping the truck somewhere in the city. They were all panting.

“That-... was definitely the same Bendy...” Charley said.

“Could he do all that before?” Edgar asked. “I don’t remember,”

“Not sure, ‘e’s barely aged after thirty years,” Barley said. “He must be a foul beast of sorts.”

“No, not just a monster,” Charley said. “Don’t you remember the cartoons? They called him the dancing demon.”

“But that was just in the cartoons, right?” Edgar asked.

“If ‘e be a real demon, then we best to steer clearrr o’ ‘im,” Barley suggested.

“Are you kidding me!?” Charley shouted. He tightened his grip on the steering wheel. “I don’t care if he’s a demon or a cat or even the devil. That little creep ruined our lives. One way or another, we’re gonna make him pay.”

Chapter Text

It was another happy day in Inkwell City and Cuphead was in the park with Elder Kettle, Mugman, and Bendy. The sun was shining, flowers were dancing, and the boys were playing baseball while Kettle was sitting on a bench reading the paper. The family goat was tied to a leash next to Kettle. Mugman was pitching while Bendy was at the bat and Cuphead was the catcher. Mugman threw the ball, Bendy hit it, and the ball went flying overhead.

“I got it! I got it!” Mugman said as he ran backward.

The mug ran faster, the ball was heading in his direction when suddenly the ground opened under his feet. Mugman fell but managed to grab the ledge.

“Mugsy!” Cuphead shouted before running to save his brother.

Fire and long, red arms grabbed Mugman and tried to pull him down.

“Cuphead, save me!” Mugman screamed before he was pulled in and the hole disappeared. 

Cuphead pounded his fist against the ground. “Mugman! Bendy! Help!” He shouted. 

Before Bendy could run to Cuphead, he was sucked into a glass bottle held by Charley. He, Barley, and Edgar took the bottle and ran away, disappearing behind the trees.

“No! Elder Kettle! Help!” Cuphead cried out. But Kettle had become a skeleton and fell apart on the floor. “No!” the cup mourned.

The family goat pulled on his leash until it snapped. He came dashing toward the cup and smashed Kettle’s skull.

“Remember me?” The goat asked.

Cuphead started to sweat. “Y-Yes.” He said. A fire erupted around the cup and goat. “I think of you often, goat from the front yard.”

“Your soul is mine!” The goat slowly transformed into The Devil.

Cuphead screamed as The Devil took his soul and ate it.

Cuphead sat up on his bed. “I ain’t too worried about it!” he screamed. He panted before he laid back down.

Mugman sat up on his bed. “You had the dream again, didn’t you?” he asked.

“It’s nothin’,” Cuphead said. “The Devil probably has a huge operation to run. And, Bendy... Anyway, He’s not worried about little old me...” he laughed nervously.

Mugman climbed out of his bed. “That’s it! Let’s go!” he said as he dug through the dresser drawer for clothes.

“Where? It’s the middle of the night!” Cuphead asked before his shirt and pants were thrown at him.

“We’re dealing with this Devil thing once and for all! Come on!”

“This is crazy! What do we...”

“Trust me Cuphead,” Mugman said seriously. “This one time, can you just trust me?”

After they got dressed, Cuphead followed Mugman out of the cottage and they walked into the woods. Being back in the woods made Cuphead think about Bendy. It’s been two days since he had seen Bendy leave with The Devil, his dad apparently, in that elevator. It was still weird to think they had been playing with the son of The Devil. But that didn’t change how Cuphead felt about Bendy. Not that he would tell Mugman though.

‘I miss you, Bendy. I hope you’re okay,’ Cuphead thought.

Meanwhile...

Down in the Underworld, Bendy looked much better than he did after the fight with the Butcher Gang. After learning about the gang’s arrival in Inkwell City, The Devil kept his little devil on bed rest for a day, preventing Bendy from going back to the cups or contacting them. Today though, The Devil, Bendy, and Henchman were taking a tour of the demon workspace.

“Do I have to be here for this Dad?” Bendy asked.

“Absolutely.” The Devil said. “It’s fun to learn about the workplace. And if I must suffer a little boredom then so do you,”

Bendy groaned.

“If you’d step over here, sir.” A demon imp said. “This is the Gluttony Department. Our reports have shown an 89% increase in global overeating.”

The Devil grins. “Oh! How delicious! Oh! What’s over there?” He walks excitedly over to another part of the room.

“Team Famine, sir.” Said a demon imp. “Not only is famine on a global upswing, but we’ve branched out into hunger-induced rage. Projected numbers are through the roof!”

“Wonderful!” The Devil lightly elbowed Henchman, “Did you know about this?” he asked. He walked over to another station. Television screens showed airplanes dropping bombs and soldiers fighting. “So, this is where we do war!” The Devil said.

Two demon imps were working on a telephone switchboard.

“Three new wars are being waged with catastrophic results on both sides.” One imp said.

“We’re breaking all previous records.” The second imp said.

“That is amazing!” The Devil said happily. “Oh, I’m impressed with how fantastically I’m running this whole operation. In fact, I think I deserve a celebration!” He slammed down his pitchfork and the workplace transformed into a party room. Tables laden with food and drinks, streamers, and balloons were everywhere, everyone was wearing party hats, and there was a banner on the wall.

‘Congrats Devil!’

The big devil grabbed a champagne glass and clinked it with his pitchfork. “Attention, everyone. We’re having our most productive year in a millennia.” He boasted. “All thanks to my hard work and dedication...”

“What’s he talking about?” One imp asked another.

“I don’t know, but we haven’t had a break in almost a hundred years, so just go with it.” The other imp answered.

“So, let’s all raise a glass to me!” The Devil said proudly before he raised his glass.

All the imps, Henchman, and Bendy clapped but one green hand rose from the crowd of imps.

“Um... excuse me!” someone said. A green demon stepped out from the crowd and walked towards the big devil. He was short with a large head, small horns, pointed ears, and purple eyes under a pair of thick glasses. He wore a large, blue polka-dotted bowtie, white cuffs over his wrists, a pencil behind his left ear, and white spats on his feet. He was carrying a large book.

“Oh, not this guy,” Henchman said with annoyance.

“Stickler,” Bendy muttered before he gagged.

Stickler, the green demon, spoke. “Um, according to the ledger, there is one outstanding soul in need of collection.” He lifted the now open book to The Devil’s face. “It is a cup. He played Soul Ball. He was on Roll the Dice. As of today’s date, his soul remains uncollected.”

The Devil smiled and pushed the book down. “Thank you, Stickler, our very diligent auditor.” He patted the demon’s head before lightly pushing him away. “But I’m sure it’s just a clerical error, everyone.”

“Doubtful.” Stickler said. “As you can...”

“Hey, let’s get that music going!” The Devil said with a snap of his fingers. He started a conga line, and everyone joined in. Starting with Stickler, then The Devil, Henchman, Bendy, and the Devil imps.

“Ahem, excuse me!” Stickler protested. “Excuse me!”

Back in the Inkwell Forest...

Cuphead and Mugman were walking through the woods, and they soon reached an area with tall grass and foggy air. The cup was growing more nervous and unsure.

“Mugman, where are you taking me?” Cuphead asked.

“You’ll see,” Mugman replied. He parted some grass away revealing a clearing with a pond in the center.

There was a stone structure that looked like a doorway, some ruins, and the pond was glowing with stones around it.

Cuphead was amazed. The brothers walked directly to the pond and Mugman pulled out a small plastic bag.

“Is that my sour fizzy jawbreaker?” Cuphead asked.

Mugman didn’t answer and instead dropped the candy into the water.

“Hey!” the cup exclaimed.

The water started to bubble.

“Aw, man! I was working on that for months!” Cuphead said.

“I’m sorry, Cuphead,” Mugman said. “but I gotta make the water fizz so he’ll appear.”

“So who will appear?”

Suddenly the pond glowed brighter and the ground shook. A voice echoed from the water.

“When in doubt, young man of mug, give your brother one last hug.”

“What was that?” Cuphead asked.

“A sage advisor, rumored to know all,” Mugman explained.

The face of an old man appeared in the water. He had a big nose, and big ears, and his skin and eyes were blue. “I am Quadratus, the great and wise! Come closer, young ones, so I may advise.”

“We come seeking your wisely wisdom,” Mugman said.

“Protection is your mugly goal, for the Devil seeks his cuply soul. But fear not, for there is one way to save his soul and keep the Devil at bay. A sweater, knit with invisible fur from a long-extinct creature, will deter. Uh, basically, the sweater is impenetrable to the Devil, so...”

“Uh, you stopped rhyming,” Cuphead said.

“Eh. It gets old. If you wear it, he cannot collect your soul. Now, where is that...?” The water moved around. “Ah-ha! Here it is!” A hand made of water rose, holding the ball of invisible yarn. “This is the last ball of invisible yarn! Take it, Mugman! And you must knit the sweater.”

Mugman grabbed the ball. “Wait. Why do I gotta do all the work?” he asked.

“The sweater is only effective if it’s made with brotherly love,” Quadratus said.

“Well, looks like I’m knitting an invisible sweater, then.”

Cuphead hugged Mugman. “Gee! Thanks, Mugsy!” he said. “You’re the best brother a cup could ever have!”

“Oh, how sweet,” Quadratus said. “Now get knitting!”

Mugman started knitting while Cuphead stayed with Quadratus.

“I have a question,” Cuphead asked.

“What is it?” Quadratus asked.

“It’s about our friend Bendy, is he really The Devil’s son?”

“Ah, I assume you are referring to Bendall Devil.” The pond shifted, showing an image of Bendy with the Devil. “Yes, he is the Devil’s biological son.”

Cuphead felt a pit form in his stomach. “Okay, but he’s not a soul collector like The Devil, right?”

“That’s two questions.”

“Just answer please.”

“Fine, fine. He doesn’t actively take souls like his father and taking your soul is not his goal.”

Cuphead let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding in. A sense of relief washed over him. “Thank goodness,” he said.

“There’s something else you should know,” Quadratus said. “Bendall is keeping his growing friendship with you and your brother a secret from his father,” with that last bit of advice, Quadratus disappeared, and the water stopped bubbling.

“To protect Bendall from family strife, keep the friendship secret with your life,”

The Devil was laughing and talking to some imps. Seeing him in a good mood, Bendy approached his dad.

“Oh! Deviled eggs! You know, I invented these.” The Devil said after he grabbed the snack.

“Hey Dad,” Bendy said. “I was wondering-”

Stickler cleared his throat. “Excuse me!” he said.

Bendy growled and The Devil threw the egg away. “There goes my appetite. Oh, games! You up for a round of darts Bendall?” he grabbed a dart.

“Sure, but I wanted to talk about-”

“Excuse me, please.” Stickler said.

The big devil groaned. The little devil pulled his dad closer to the punch bowl.

“Ignore him and take this,” Bendy said before he poured some punch into a glass and handed it to his father.

“Thank you, son,” The Devil said before he took a sip of the punch.

“You're welcome, Dad,” Bendy said. “So, now that I am feeling better, I was wondering if I could—”

Stickler came out of the punch bowl and cleared his throat.

The Devil spat out his punch, burst into flames, and he glared at the green demon. “Fine!” he yelled. The flames disappeared, and he smiled. “Attention, everyone. I have a teensy-weensy thing to take care of. Don’t stop the party. I’ll only be a minute.”

“But Dad-!” Bendy protested.

“Bendall, I just need to step out for a moment and when I get back, we can talk,”

Before Bendy could stop him, The Devil slammed down his pitchfork and he disappeared.

Henchman glared at the green demon. “Uh, nice work, Stickler.” He said.

“I will not apologize for doing my job.” Stickler said.

Henchman turned around and smiled at Bendy. “Can I get you something little boss?” he asked.

Bendy’s eyes shifted side to side. “Uh... I gotta go to the bathroom.” He said before he ran away.

Mugman was knitting before he smiled and lifted the invisible garment. “There! All finished.” He said. “Okay, Cuphead. Put it on.”

Cuphead took the sweater and sniffed it. “Urgh! Yuck! It stinks!” he exclaimed.

“You heard Quadratus. It’s the only thing that’ll stop the Devil from taking your soul.”

“All right. I’ll put it on.” Cuphead said before he put on the sweater. “Oh! I guess it is nice and toasty.”

Suddenly, The Devil appeared in a puff of smoke.

The cup brothers screamed. “The Dev–”

The Devil slapped Cuphead’s hand away. “Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m here for the soul. Let’s make it snappy.” He reached for the cup’s chest but before he could touch him, the sweater shocked the Devil. Once it stopped, the Devil shook his hand. “Yowch!” he yelled.

“Hey, it worked!” Cuphead said.

“You’re wearing an impenetrable, invisible sweater! But how?!” The Devil yelled.

“Mugman made it for me.” Cuphead pulled his brother closer. “It works on account of our brotherly love.”

Mugman gave a nervous wave to The Devil.

“Of course, it does.” The Devil said as he rolled his eyes.

Cuphead walked boldly past the big devil. “Now, if you’ll excuse us, we’ll be on our way home,” Cuphead said. “Nice hat by the way,”

Mugman followed the cup.

The Devil looked confused for a second before remembering the party hat that he was still wearing. He ripped it off and burned it in his hand as he glared at the brothers before he disappeared in a puff of smoke and then reappeared in front of the brothers, blocking the way.

“The Devil!” Cuphead screamed.

“Cuphead. You’re wearing the sweater, remember?” Mugman said.

“Oh, right.”

The Devil leaned down and looked Cuphead in the eye. “Yeah, about that. Why don’t you save us both some time and take it off?”

“Fat chance!” Cuphead said.

The Devil thought for a second before he snapped his fingers and a ten-dollar bill appeared in his hand. “Take it off, and I’ll give you ten bucks!” he said in a sing-song voice.

“Oh, boy! Ten bucks!” Cuphead said before he lifted the sweater.

Mugman grabbed Cuphead’s arm. “No! Your soul’s worth more than ten bucks.” He said.

“Hey, you’re right!” Cuphead said. “Make it twenty.”

“Deal,” The Devil said.

“No! No deal! You’re keeping that sweater on. Now let’s go home.” Mugman grabbed Cuphead and dragged him away from The Devil.

In the Underworld, Bendy was watching the events with a magic hand mirror in The Devil’s private bathroom.

“Good work Mugman,” Bendy said. “But be careful. Dad doesn’t give up that easily,”

KNOCK KNOCK

“You okay in there little boss?” Henchman said from the other side of the door.

Bendy gave an exaggerated groan. “I’m okay, Henchman. Go back to the party! I need another minute!” he said. He let out another groan.

“Okay,” Henchman said before he walked away. “Maybe he needs more fiber in his diet,”

Mugman and Cuphead were still walking, when-

“Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up!” said a man.

The brothers turned their heads and saw a carny on a stand. There were posters of shows behind him on the walls of a circus tent.

“Step right up!” The carny said. “See the teapot tentacle lady! Encounter the bearded flamingo! Gawk at the really big squirrel!”

Cuphead and Mugman got excited. “Big squirrel?!” they exclaimed.

“We gotta see how big it is,” Mugman said.

“Right this way, gentlemen!” The man said.

The cups walked to the entrance of the tent.

“Wait, Cuphead,” Mugman said as he pointed at a sign over the entrance. “It says, “No sweaters allowed.””

“Oh, well, off it goes,” Cuphead said before he lifted the sweater.

Mugman stopped the cup. “Hold it!” he exclaimed. “Something’s fishy about this. And I don’t like the look of that carny.”

Said Carny chuckling sinisterly as he watched the boys.

“Come on. Let’s scram.” Mugman pulled Cuphead and they walked away.

They didn’t see the angry Carny turn into The Devil.

The brothers kept walking when they suddenly smelled something.

“Something smells delicious!” Mugman said.

Cuphead pointed ahead of them. “Oh, boy! Free hot dogs!” he exclaimed excitedly.

There was a hot dog stand with steaming hot dogs.

Cuphead quickly ran ahead of the mug, grabbed a hot dog, and was about to take a bite. But he suddenly felt something warm on his shoulder, like an open flame close to his skin. He paused at the touch.

‘Drop the hot dog,’ Bendy’s voice echoed in his mind. ‘Drop it!’

Cuphead dropped the hot dog.

“Cuphead?” Mugman said. The mug picked up the hot dog and inspected it. He notices words scribbled on the dog. “Warning: One bite of this free hot dog may unleash a plague of sweater-eating demon moths”?” he gasped. “Good call dropping the dog, Cuphead. Let’s keep going!” Mugman grabbed Cuphead’s hand, and they walked away from the stand.

The stand was The Devil in disguise.

Bendy, still watching with the mirror, sighed in relief. “Thank the dark star that spell worked.” He said.

Cuphead and Mugman kept walking and Quadratus’ pool suddenly appeared.

“I know I said to wear a sweater,” Quadratus said. “but take it off, and that’s much better.”

“You’re the wise guy,” Cuphead said. He lifted the sweater.

Mugman stopped the cup again when he noticed something different about the sage.

“Hey!” the mug said. “Quadratus doesn’t have horns. That’s the Devil in disguise! He’s been trying to get your sweater off this whole time! Let’s go!” he blew a raspberry as he pushed Cuphead away from the pool.

The pool melted down, revealing that it was the Devil again.

Mugman and Cuphead ran and the exit from the woods was just ahead of them.

“Look! We’re almost out of the woods!” Mugman said.

The Devil appeared in a puff of smoke and blocked their way. “No, you’re not!” The big devil yelled. “Now take off that sweater!” he pointed his pitchfork at Cuphead.

“It’s not happening, Devil,” Mugman said. “Just give up already.”

“Yeah!” Cuphead said. “You should try transforming into someone who doesn’t fail all the time.”

Mugman and Cuphead laughed at that remark.

The Devil’s anger rose, he turned red and burst into flames.

Cuphead and Mugman started to sweat from the heat of the flames.

The cup fanned himself. “So hot.” He said as he tugged on the sweater.

The Devil’s angry expression dropped and was soon replaced with a sinister grin. He took a deep breath, held it, and the flames grew bigger and hotter.

“Oh! I’m cooking here.” Cuphead said as he stretched the sweater by the collar. “I gotta take this thing off.”

“No! Keep it on!” Mugman protested.

“I can’t! I can’t take it!” Cuphead said before he lifted the sweater off his chest.

Mugman started to panic but then he remembered Quadratus’ advice.

“When in doubt, young man of mug...” he said. “Give your brother one last hug!”

The mug jumped and hugged his brother. The cup’s arms were locked to his sides.

“Hey! What are you doing?” Cuphead asked.

The Devil tried to concentrate on his flames, and it spread.

Cuphead screamed and closed his eyes, but the flames didn’t touch him or Mugman. A ten-foot-diameter sphere surrounded them. The fire erupted into a blast.

BOOM

Bendy gasped and looked into the mirror worriedly.

When the flames subsided, having scorched the surrounding forest, it was revealed that Cuphead and Mugman were fine, much to their surprise.

Bendy was also surprised by this.

The dumbfounded Devil screamed in a rage and started to uncontrollably morph into a bunch of creatures. His dragon formed with multiple pairs of limbs, a bull that spat fire, a draconic monster, and then an Octopus-like monster.

“We should go,” Cuphead suggested.

“Yeah. Let’s.” Mugman replied.

The boys quietly fled as The Devil’s body degenerated into a black mass out of which several heads sprouted out before they got pulled back in. Eventually, the big devil morphed back to his normal form before he slumped over.

“I hate those cups.” The Devil muttered. He slammed his pitchfork down and teleported back into the party room in the Underworld. “Well, I got him!” he said cheerfully. “Old Scratch did it again. Where’s that cake?” he snapped his fingers, and a cake was brought to him. As he sliced the cake, an unpleasant throat clearing came up behind him.

“Where is the soul that has been retrieved?” Stickler asked.

The Devil shrugged. “I put it in the soul vault. With the others.” He lied with a smile.

“You mean you didn’t register it?” Stickler asked. He held up his book. “We have a tracking system in place. Every soul must be officially accounted-” a fire blast shot through the book, “...for.”

“Oops. I guess the auditor will have to do a full recount.” The Devil said.

“But I’m the auditor.” Stickler said.

“Oh, that’s right. Well, don’t let us keep you. Bye!” The Devil waved as the green demon walked away. “Who still needs cake, huh? Let’s see one for me, one for Bendall, and one for-... Bendall! Where is Bendall?”

“I’m here!” came Bendy’s voice as he ran to the big devil. “I’m here.”

“Why are you out of breath?” The Devil asked.

“Because I... I was rushing from the bathroom. I wouldn’t go in there for a while, by the way, I did all I could, but you can only do such much with dried flowers.” Bendy laughed nervously. “So did you get him?” he asked, catching his breath.

“Of course, I did.” The Devil lied. “But enough about that. Wasn’t there something you wanted to talk about?”

Bendy smiled, “Yes! I was wondering if I could go back to the surface soon.” He said.

The Devil’s smile dropped. “I’m not sure how soon that should be son,” he said. “That Butcher Gang...”

“Ah, c’mon Dad,” Bendy said. “That was a fluke at best. And I’m feeling better,”

“I’ll think about it, alright?”

“Alright,”

There was disappointment in the little devil’s voice and the big devil could sense it.

“How’s about some cake?” The Devil asked.

Bendy nodded in agreement.

Cuphead and Mugman were home and were putting their pajamas on.

“So, we agree,” Mugman said. “We talk to Bendy once we get the chance.”

“Yeah,” Cuphead said. “At least we know he’s not after my soul.”

“Yes, but Quadratus didn’t specify what Bendy’s intentions are with us.”

“Well, it can’t be anything bad right? If it were I’m sure he would have hurt us already.” Cuphead slipped under the blankets on his bed.

“True but still I’d like an explanation anyway.” Mugman went to his bed.

“At least now I can get a good night’s rest. Nothing is better than you making me a sweater.”

“I’d make a sweater for no other than my dearest sweet, sweet brother.”

“Quadratus was right. Rhyming gets old.” Cuphead said. “G’night.” The cup closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Later That Night...

The brothers were deep asleep when Bendy entered their bedroom through the window. He reached out for Cuphead but before he could touch him, the sweater lit up and gave the little devil a shock on his finger. Bendy bit down a yelp and pulled his hand back.

‘So, it does affect me too.’ Bendy thought. ’Sorry Cuphead looks like I can’t be near you while you wear that sweater,’ he walked back to the window. He looked back at Cuphead and Mugman. “Bye fellas, it was nice while it lasted.” He whispered before his body melted down and he slipped away through the window.

Cuphead’s eyes flew open and looked towards the window.

“Bendy?” he whispered.

Chapter Text

Bendy was walking to the throne room with the newspaper rolled up under his arm. He peeked in from behind a pillar and saw his father sitting on the throne.

The Devil was seething, his hands clutching to the arms of his throne, he was groaning, and his sharp teeth showed in his scowl.

‘Maybe I’ll ask him later,’ Bendy thought. He was about to walk away until he spotted Henchman flying to the big devil.

“Uh, hey, boss, want some leftover congratulations cake?” Henchman asked. “Uh, you look mad for somebody who just got that cup’s soul. Congratulations, by the way.”

The Devil roared angrily. “I didn’t actually get his soul yet, okay?” he admitted. “I just said that to buy myself some time before Stickler finds out.” He crossed his arms. “I hate that guy.”

Henchman spotted the little devil at the corner. When their eyes met, Bendy hid behind the pillar.

“I think Bendall wants to talk to you,” the purple demon said.

The Devil sighed. “Bendall, come on out,” he said.

Bendy stepped out from behind the pillar.

“How long were you hiding there?” The Devil asked.

“I came in just before Henchman,” Bendy admitted.

“Henchman, I need to speak to my son alone,” The Devil said. Henchman was about to leave but the big devil stopped him. “Wait. Leave the cake.”

After giving the cake slice to his boss, Henchman flew away.

The Devil looked at his son and patted the left armrest of his throne. Bendy quickly walked over and placed his hands on the armrest.

“So, what do you want to talk about?” The Devil asked.

“I wanted to ask if I could go to the surface world today,” Bendy said. The Devil opened his mouth to speak, “And before you say anything, just hear me out.” Bendy interjected. “I know you’re grumpy, but I think this’ll cheer you up. The Obliterator!”

“Is that some new form of torture?” The Devil asked.

“Close! It’s an amusement park ride. It just opened at the Inkwell Pier.” Bendy said as he held up the newspaper, showing an advertisement for the ride. “It goes so fast, it’ll tear the clothes right off of you. I thought maybe you and I could go together.”

The Devil took a calming breath. “It’s a nice idea son. But the only thing that’ll cheer me up is getting that cup’s soul.”

Bendy lowered his head in disappointment. The Devil noticed and offered the cake slice, but the little devil wordlessly declined. After a moment, The Devil placed a hand on Bendy’s shoulder.

“Tell you what, stay in today while I go get the cup’s soul and tomorrow, I’ll take you to the pier and we can ride the Obliterator.”

Bendy looked at his dad, “You promise?” he asked. “No matter what you’ll take me to the Obliterator tomorrow?” 

“You have my word,” The Devil crossed over his heart, “and a devil’s word...”

“Is the law,” Bendy finished and crossed his own heart.

“That’s right,” The Devil said before he ruffled his son’s hair.

“Dad! Not the hair,” Bendy said as he swatted at The Devil’s hand.

The Devil chuckled then he grabbed the little devil and tickled his sides.

Bendy’s grunts turned to laughter as he tried to escape.

“Let go of me, you weirdo!” the little devil shouted playfully.

“Never!” The big devil chuckled.

Their laughter echoed throughout the throne room. After a while, The Devil sighed and stopped tickling his son.

“I needed that,” The Devil said as he hugged his son. He stood up and placed Bendy on the throne. He handed the slice of cake to the little devil and Bendy took it. “Stay put.” The big devil said as he backed away from the throne. “I’m off to take that cup’s soul,” he slammed his pitchfork down and disappeared.

Bendy sat back, putting his head and feet on the armrests. “He’s never gonna get Cuphead’s soul. Not if he’s wearing that sweater,” Bendy said before he took a bite of the cake. “Cuphead, you better keep wearing that sweater.”

Meanwhile, in the Inkwell Forest... Cuphead and Mugman were talking.

“I can’t keep wearing this sweater,” Cuphead said.

“You’re wearing that sweater forever!” Mugman argued.

“But...”

“No buts. That sweater’s the only way the Devil can’t get your soul. You can never take it off! Ever!”

“Eh. I ain’t too worried about it.”

The Devil appeared in a puff of smoke and Cuphead screamed.

“Your soul is mine!” The Devil said. He reached for Cuphead, but the invisible sweater shocked the big devil. After the shock, the devil groaned from the pain.

“He’s never taking that sweater off!” Mugman shouted.

“Yeah. Give it up!” Cuphead shouted.

“Never!” The Devil yelled. He slammed his pitchfork down and disappeared.

Cuphead laughed victoriously.

For the rest of the day, The Devil returned repeatedly to steal Cuphead’s soul but failed every time thanks to the sweater. The next day, Cuphead was listening to the radio while Mugman was reading the newspaper. 

“Will the fireproof pants of Dirk Dangerous be enough to save a flaming bank vault full of orphans? Tune in tomorrow for the stunning conclusion of Dirk Dangerous vs. Pyromaniac Pete!”

Cuphead turned off the radio. “So sweat inducing!” he said as he sweated profusely. A puddle of sweat pooled around him.

“You wanna see something even more sweat inducing?” Mugman asked excitedly.

“Do I?” Cuphead replied excitedly.

Mugman held up the newspaper, “It’s a new ride!” he said. “New, Cuphead, new! Says here it’ll go so fast, it’ll... something. I dunno. But it’s new, Cuphead, new!”

“Oh! If we go now, we can get there before Elder Kettle wakes up from his nap.”

Cuphead and Mugman opened the door to leave but The Devil was right there waiting for them. 

“Hand it over.” The Devil said as he reached for Cuphead. The cup smacked his hand away. “Oh!”

“Would you get outta here?” Cuphead whispered. “Elder Kettle can’t see you.”

“Who is Elder Ket-?” The Devil asked but Cuphead closed the door on him. The big devil growled with anger before he roared and burned the grass and fence around him.

Cuphead opened the door. “Would you cut that out?!” he shouted softly. “Look, meet me around back.”

“Listen, you little shoehorn...” The Devil started but Cuphead closed the door on him again. He walked around the cottage till he reached the back door. “Stupid cup making me go around the back. I’m the Devil! Nobody tells me what to...” he grunted.

Cuphead and Mugman came out the back door.

“Do you have any idea how much trouble we’ll be in if Elder Kettle sees you here?!” Cuphead whispered.

“You already are in trouble! You owe me your soul!” The Devil said.

“Hey!” came Kettle’s voice from inside the cottage.

Cuphead pushed The Devil into a bush before Elder Kettle opened a window. 

What’s with all the noise?!” Kettle yelled.

“Uh, nothing,” Cuphead said. “That was just a large cat... man.”

“Well, tell him I’m taking a nap!” Kettle shouted. “And another thing. Paint that fence!” He pointed to the smoldering fence. “It looks terrible!” Then Kettle closed the window and went back to bed.

The Devil came out of the bush and brushed himself off.

“Thanks to your little tantrum, the fence is all burnt up!” Cuphead said.

“Yeah! What do you intend to do about that, huh?” Mugman said.

“Nothing!” The Devil shouted, “I’m the Devil!”

“Hmm... Tell you what.” Cuphead said. “You paint the fence; I take off the sweater.”

Mugman flinched and pulled Cuphead closer. “Are you crazy?” he whispered.

“Hold on. Let’s see where I go with this.” Cuphead whispered. He turned to look back at the big devil. “Well, what do you say?” he asked.

“Let’s see. I paint the fence. You take off the sweater. I take your soul. Hmm...”

Cuphead, Mugman, and The Devil went to the fence. The big devil grabbed a paintbrush and dabbed the brush against the wood.

“Have you ever actually painted a fence?” Cuphead asked.

“Yeah, ‘cause it looks like you have no idea what you’re doing,” Mugman said.

“Is that so? Watch this.” The Devil said before he cleared his throat. The paint in the cans started to bubble and changed colors. The Devil used telekinesis to make the brushes fly and with a wave of his hand, the brushes dipped into the paint cans and started painting the fence. “And on the one, and on the two, here we go.” the big devil said.

Cuphead and Mugman remembered the ride they wanted to go on and snuck away quietly.

The pier was crowded, the late-day sun was still out, and the brothers got in the long line to ride The Obliterator. Cuphead tapped his foot impatiently. 

“This line!” Cuphead groaned. “Hmm, say, Mugsy, hold my spot. I’m gonna go grab us some funnel cake.”

“But you don’t like funnel cake,” Mugman said.

“And you don’t like knitting soul-saving invisible sweaters, but you made me one. The least I can do is buy you some funnel cake.” Cuphead walked away but came back a few seconds later, asking, “Can I borrow five bucks?”

The Devil skipped and danced as he made the brushes paint the fence. Lightning struck the fence, and the fence was now perfectly painted white. The brushes shook off any residue paint and dropped to the ground.

“And that is how you paint a fence!” The Devil said before he took a bow. He lifted his head and found no one else was around. “Unbelievable! Where did those two nitwits go?” he took a step forward and felt something wet under his foot.

It was paint. A bunch of paint in the shape of child-size shoe prints that lead to the road. It didn’t take The Devil long to figure out who these prints belonged to and decided to follow the trail.

Cuphead, covered in powdered sugar, walked back to Mugman in line with a plate of funnel cake. “There was a little powdered sugar mishap.” The cup said.

“No problem! I never say no to extra sugar.” Mugman said. The mug grabbed some cake and dabbed it against Cuphead’s chest. “Let’s hope I don’t eat any invisible sweater hairs.” He said with a chuckle.

Cuphead chuckled. “You might. If I didn’t take it off hours ago.” He said.

Mugman laughed before spitting out the cake in his mouth. “You what?!” he shouted.

“I took off the sweater.” The cup said.

“Well, where is it?!”

Cuphead thought for a moment. “Hmm... Looks like I don’t remember.” He said.

“What happened to “never take it off”?!”

“Big deal. It’s not like the Devil’s around or anything.” A familiar cloud of smoke poofed behind Cuphead, who jumped into Mugman’s arms and screamed when he saw the angry devil. “The Devil!” the cup screamed.

“Stay calm, Cuphead,” Mugman whispered. “He doesn’t know you took the sweater off.”

Cuphead relaxed upon hearing this. “Oh, yeah!” he said.

“I painted your little fence.” The Devil said. “Now, off with the sweater. Let’s go.”

“How do we know you painted the fence?” Cuphead asked as he got back on the ground.

“I don’t know. Go look! It’s actually quite good.”

“Fat chance, buddy. We’ve been waiting in line all day to ride the Obliterator.”

“The what now?” The Devil asked. He looked up and saw the ride going so fast that the riders’ clothes flew off. A sock landed on the Devil’s face, he took it off and suddenly remembered what Bendy said yesterday.

“It’s the Obliterator, Dad! Remember! It goes so fast, it’ll tear the clothes right off of you!”

The Devil smiled sinisterly as an idea formed in his head. “On second thought, I think I’ll join you, boys.” The big devil said, “This ride looks like fun.”

“That’s the spirit!” Cuphead said.

“Oh! There’s just someone I need to get first. Don’t move, I’ll be right back!” The Devil said before he slammed down the pitchfork and disappeared.

“C’mon Cuphead! Let’s go and get your sweater back on before he comes back,” Mugman said urgently.

“But it’s almost time for the ride,” Cuphead whined.

Before Mugman could say more, The Devil returned with Bendy standing next to him. The little devil flinched when he saw Cuphead and Mugman.

“This is my son, Bendall Devil, I promised I’d take him on this ride,” The Devil said. He leaned down closer to his son. “We just have to wait behind these two, alright?” 

“Y-yes Dad,” Bendy said, uncertainty in his voice.

Cuphead was so happy to see Bendy, but when their eyes met, the little devil looked away and hid behind The Devil’s legs. The cup wondered why and was about to ask before he remembered what Quadratus had said.

“To protect Bendall from family strife, keep the friendship secret with your life,”

The cup and mug gave each other knowing looks and said nothing at first.

Mugman broke the silence. “Say Cuphead, shouldn’t you be getting back to the cottage to get that thing you forgot? That thing you took off and need to put back on.”

“But the ride,” Cuphead whined.

Mugman threw his arms up. “I’ll go.” He said before he walked away.

The Devil started filing his nails and Cuphead smiled at Bendy.

“Hey, you two wanna hear a joke?” he asked.

“I hear nothing.” The Devil replied.

Bendy shrugged.

“What’s worse than finding a worm in your apple? Finding half a worm in your apple.” Cuphead said.

Bendy stifled a laugh.

“Get it? ‘Cause that would mean you ate the other half? Get it? ‘Cause it’s only half of it in there? ‘Cause you ate the other half?”

“Yes!” The Devil yelled. “We get it! Thank you!”

“You know what’s worse than finding half a worm in your apple?”

The Devil pinched his brow, “What?” he asked.

“Falling in a sewer.”

This time Bendy and The Devil gave stifled laughs, but the big devil tried to cover it with a cough and pouted.

“I saw a smile!” Cuphead said.

“You most certainly did not.” The Devil said.

“Oh, we most certainly did,” Bendy teased.

Mugman opened a closet, frantically searching for the sweater. “Where did he put it?! If I was Cuphead, where would I put an invisible sweater?” he wondered.

“Attention, Dirk Dangerous fans.” Said the announcer on the radio. “Did our last sweat-inducing episode leave you sweatier than ever?”

The mug smiled.

Cuphead, Bendy, and the Devil were at the front of the line. It was nighttime now and the stars could be seen overhead.

“And then the banana says, “Thursday!” Cuphead concluded the joke.

He and the devils laughed.

The Devil wiped a tear from his eye. “How delightfully unexpected!” he said. “You know, Cuphead, you’re not so bad after all.” He patted Cuphead’s back.

“Thanks,” Cuphead said.

The Devil kept patting Cuphead’s back, slowly realizing he was not getting shocked.

Bendy curiously glanced over and noticed this too. He poked Cuphead’s arm and then gasped into his hand as the Devil poked and patted the cup’s torso before gasping too.

“You’re not wearing the sweater!” The Devil exclaimed.

“Uh... Am too!” Cuphead shouted.

The Devil grinned and snickered, “Are not!” he said.

Bendy wanted to stop this but didn’t know how and The Devil pulled Cuphead’s soul out of him.

“You’re right, Devil!” came Mugman’s voice. “He’s not wearing the sweater.” Mugman jumped. “You are!” and slipped the sweater on The Devil.

Electricity buzzed from the sweater and the big devil grunted from the pain.

Mugman patted Cuphead’s soul back into his body.

The electricity intensified and The Devil screamed as he was shocked.

The brothers and Bendy flinched at the sight. Cuphead elbowed Mugman and gestured at the ride. The brothers grabbed Bendy and dragged him into the ride with them.

As The Devil continued to scream and grunt, Cuphead and Mugman laughed as they enjoyed the ride. Although reluctant at first, Bendy joined in and laughed along with the cups.

“Well, that went just as I planned.” The Devil said with a satisfied smile.

Bendy and The Devil were back in the Underworld. The little devil was sitting on the steps to the throne, fixing his tie while the big devil was being treated for his burns by Henchman. The sweater had burned the fur off from The Devil’s torso and arms. The purple demon dabbed anti-infection on the big devil’s arm.

“Yow!” The Devil yelled from the stinging medicine.

“Uh, sorry, boss,” Henchman said.

The Devils sighed. “And where is the sweater now?” he asked.

“It’s hidden away...” Henchman said before he whispered the rest. “in an undisclosed location.”

The Devil pushed the purple demon back. “Thank you, Henchman.” He said. “Perfect. Without the sweater, I can just go and take that cup’s soul any time I want!”

Henchman dabbed The Devil’s shoulder again and the big devil cried out from the stinging feeling of the medicine.

“Uh, sorry, boss,” Henchman said.

Bendy shook his head as his dad whimpered from the pain. The little devil put his chin in his hand.

‘Cuphead and Mugman didn’t give me away.’ Bendy thought. ‘Cuphead even joked around with Dad? Was it an act or was he really trying to get along with him?’ Bendy’s head filled with just more questions, giving him a headache. He stood up.

“I’m going to bed now,” Bendy said before he walked away.

“Alright, good night son,” The Devil before he got stung again. “Yeow!”

“Good night little boss,” Henchman said.

“Yeow!”

Cuphead and Mugman were walking back home from the pier.

“Wow! What a great day.” Cuphead said.

“Except I’m pretty sure the Devil’s angrier than ever,” Mugman said. “and you no longer have the one thing that’ll stop him getting your soul.”

“True. But, hey, I got the best brother in the world looking out for me. Really makes me feel so much less exposed.”

They had lost their shirts and pants on the ride. All they had on now were their gloves, shoes, and polka-dot underpants.

In the city’s church, a man in a trench coat was walking out of the building and holding a bottle in his hands. He’s also wearing a fedora and thick glasses over his eyes.

“Just follow my instructions and you should have no further troubles with that demon,” said the parson.

“Thank you so much,” said the man in the coat as he walked away. Once he was far enough away, the man dropped his glasses, revealing his green eyes. He smiled down at the bottle in his hands. “This will get that little creep,” Charley said before he started laughing.

“Uh oh! What is Charley planning to do with that bottle? Will Bendy be able to play with Cuphead and Mugman again? Or is their friendship doomed to go up in flames? Tune in next week for answers to these questions in one of the most adventurous episodes of The Bendy Straw Show yet! All Bottled Up!”

Chapter Text

In the Underworld, Bendy walked to The Devil’s private bathroom. The little devil kicked the door open, startling the big devil in the tub.

“Hi, Dad!” Bendy greeted.

“Bendall, how many times have I told you to knock before you kick down the door,” The Devil said.

“Sorry Dad, but I really needed to talk to you,”

“Fine but make it quick,”

“Let me go outside,”

The Devil pinched his brow. “Son, I-”

“Pleeease!” Bendy said before he got on his knees. “I’m better and I’m bored. Please let me go outside,”

“I just don’t know Bendall,”

Bendy pondered for a bit before he noticed something moving behind the curtain behind the bath. He smiled slyly. “Fine, then how’s about I spend the rest of bath time with you,” he suggested.

“Go outside,” The Devil said quickly.

“No no, I’d much rather just stay here and not-”

“I said go outside!”

“Okay Dad, whatever you say, bye!” Bendy said but then The Devil grabbed his tail. “What? I-”

“I just want to say be careful,” The Devil said. “I know you can defend yourself for the most part, but don’t get reckless out there,”

“I know Dad,” Bendy said after he pulled his tail back. “And don’t worry, I’ll be fine.” The little devil excitedly ran and closed the door behind him.

“Phew,” came a voice from the curtain. “He’s gone,” King Dice came out from behind the curtain, wearing a purple bathrobe, and holding a bath brush and a bar of soap in his hands.

“Do you think he noticed?” Dice asked. “Boss?” he asked when the big devil didn’t answer. “Boss?”

“Hmm? Oh, no. I don’t think he did.” The Devil answered. He kept looking at the door and sighed. “Sometimes, it feels like only yesterday I took him to see the surface world for the first time. And now he’s looking for any excuse to go,”

“Bendall is like any other kid,” Dice said. “They want to see and do stuff for themselves. Like get on gameshows and lose, even if it costs the host their careers and their position as number one!”

“Dice, we’re talking about my problems here,”

“Right, right. My point is, the more you keep him in the more he’ll want to get out. So just let the kid roam and he’ll come back home on his own.” Dice lathered up his hands with the soap.

“You might be a little right,”

“Yeah. Now just relax Boss and let number one work those shoulders,” Dice said before he massaged The Devil’s shoulders.

The big devil hummed and moaned. “Keep this up... and I might just make you number one again.” He said between moans. “Might,”

“You got a deal, Big D,” King Dice said smiling widely.

The little devil used the elevator to get to the forest. After sending it back, he walked towards the city. As he walked, he started thinking about the brothers and his pace slowed down.

“What would happen if I showed up at their cottage?” Bendy wondered. “Would they be happy to see me... or scared?” He frowned.

He turned around seeing the cottage in the distance but decided to walk further away from it.

“Maybe I shouldn’t bother...” he said dejectedly.

Suddenly, something rolled under Bendy’s foot, and he fell on his face. He shook his head, lifted his foot, and found that he had slipped on a bottle. He stood up and looked around but didn’t see anyone.

Just a bunch of bushes and trees.

The little devil tapped the bottle with his shoe, when nothing happened, he picked it up and saw a piece of paper inside with his name written on it. Curious, Bendy opened the bottle, picked the paper out, and unrolled it.

“To Bendy... Gotcha!”

“What the heck is this?” Bendy wondered.

A large bush rustled behind Bendy and, before the little devil could react, Charley, Barley, and Edgar jumped out and tackled him down.

Meanwhile, at Porkrind’s Emporium, a shady customer named Jerry was picking up a package. Jerry was slim, and tall, with a long red nose. He wears a long coat, a scarf that covers his mouth, and a tall blue hat. 

“So, you got that package?” Jerry asked.

“Yeah,” Porkrind said. He grabbed a box labeled ‘DANGER’ from under the counter. “One box of grenades. Two sacks of gunpowder. A spool of piano wire. And one tube of toothpaste. Spearmint.”

Jerry took the box. “Nobody procures black-market goods like you do, Porkrind.” He said.

“Shh! Don’t use my real name!” Porkrind said before he whispered. “I like to keep a low profile.”

RING

The bell rang as the door opened and Cuphead and Mugman stepped in.

“Hi, Porkrind!” the boys greeted loudly.

The pig groaned and pinched his brow while Jerry sneaked away with the package.

“Today’s the day, Porkrind. We’ve been saving up our chore nickels!” Cuphead said before he pulled out a jar of nickels from his pocket. “And can you guess what we’re gonna spend them on?”

Porkrind groaned while still pinching his brow. “No,” he answered.

“The greatest game in all the Inkwell Isles,” Cuphead said as he pointed at the pinball machine.

“Also, it’s a little bit scary,” Mugman added nervously.

“Dirk Dangerous vs. the Volcano!” Cuphead said before he put on a pair of yellow goggles. “Nickel me.”

Mugman gulped before handing the cup a nickel from the jar.

The machine clicked after Cuphead put the coin in the slot. Cuphead started playing, the machine chimed, and a red lightbulb flashed.

Mugman looked at the game nervously and saw the slow-moving mechanical cobra and crocodile, the flashing lightbulb, followed by a siren blaring. The mug sweated and backed away in fear.

“Danger! Danger! Danger!” Mugman repeated. He backed against the counter and looked up at Porkrind, who was reading a magazine.

“Hey, Porkrind! Whatcha’ doin’?” Mugman asked. He pointed at a spiked golden brass knuckle. “That looks neat.”

“Not for you,” Porkrind said before he took the weapon away.

“What’s in this jar?” Mugman asked while peering into a jar with a pickle in it.

“Hands off!” Porkrind said before he took the jar away.

“How about this one?” Mugman asked as he pointed at a bomb.

“Classified,” Porkrind said before he took the bomb. He placed the confiscated objects on a shelf behind his counter and he groans.

Mugman gasped, “Whoa! Porkrind! A shoe!” He said. “I found a shoe on the road and put it on my foot. The shoe was too small. I wore it anyway. I lost my shoe earlier. And it popped right on! Then, I realized the shoe I found was my shoe! It wasn’t too small. Just a family of mice living inside. I named them. Wanna know what I named them? I named the Mama Ding. I named the Papa Ding-Ding. I named their baby... Eeee!”

Mugman made an annoying E-flat sound as his head swung side to side. Cuphead kept playing with the loud pinball game.

Porkrind got so angry his face turned red. He grabbed a sledgehammer, shoved his counter aside, swung his sledgehammer at the cup boys, and broke their heads. Cuphead and Mugman’s bodies fell as Porkrind raised his hammer and laughed maliciously at the top of his lungs.

But that head breaking was just a daydream sequence and Porkrind was just behind his counter while Mugman was trying to get his attention and Cuphead was still playing the game.

“Porkrind. Porkrind. Porkrind.” Mugman said. “Hey, Porkrind! Porkrind! Porkrind!”

Suddenly, something fell from the ceiling and landed on Mugman’s nose, making the mug stop talking.

Cuphead was so focused on his game that he didn’t notice anything else... until Mugman screamed. The cup turned around and saw Mugman running around in a panic. The thing on his nose turned out to be a rattlesnake. It was wrapped around his head and hissed at the mug menacingly.

“Mugman!” Cuphead said. He grabbed a cricket bat. “I’ll save you!” he tried to hit the snake, but Mugman was moving too fast. “Hold still!”

“No! That’s not how you deal with rattlesnakes!” Porkrind said.

Mugman ran blindly into the back room and Cuphead followed him.

“Hey! Get out of there!” Porkrind shouted and chased after them. Porkrind grabbed the snake by the head, pulled it off Mugman, and stuffed it in a bag. He tied it up. “I’ll deal with you later,” he placed the bag away before he looked at the cup brothers. “And as for you two—”

RING

The bell on the door rang.

“Now what?” Porkrind groaned.

“Hey! Where’s the shopkeeper?!” came a deep and gruff voice.

Porkrind groaned before he whispered. “Stay low and stay quiet. Understand.” He looked behind the curtain and his eyes widened a bit when he saw the Butcher Gang in his shop. He walked out.

“Porkrind?” Charley asked. “Porkrind!”

“So, you remember me.” Porkrind scoffed. “I always hoped all three of you keeled over in prison.”

“No such luck, Porky,” Charley said smiling smugly.

“Hey Charley, can we get some of these sausages, I’m starving!” Edgar asked.

“Later!” Charley shouted. “First thing we need is a map of the Isle.” He placed a ten-dollar bill on the counter.

Cuphead and Mugman peeked from behind the curtain and silently gasped when they saw the gang. They watched as Porkrind silently took the money and handed the tall man a map.

Charley placed a glass bottle on the counter and rolled out the map.

TAP TAP TAP

Cuphead and Mugman heard the tapping and noticed something moving inside the bottle. They squinted their eyes. There was a small figure inside and black liquid splashing around. They can make out that it was black, had yellow eyes, and two points on its head that look like ears... or horns. Their eyes widened when they saw the face of the little devil inside.

“Now where’s the best place to throw away this little creep,” Charley said before he grabbed the bottle and gave it a shake.

‘Bendy!’ Cuphead thought. He suddenly remembered his nightmares; where Bendy was captured by the Butcher Gang and was trapped in a bottle.

“How about the dump?” Edgar suggested. He grabbed a sausage and gave Porkrind cash.

“Too public,” Charley said.

Barley grabbed the map and looked it over. “Arg, ‘ow about the sea?” he said.

“N’ah!” Charley said. “We need somewhere worse than that.”

“Hey, a pinball machine!” Edgar said. “And hey, a jar of nickels!”

Cuphead and Mugman silently gasped again. “Our chore nickels...” they whispered.

“Dirk Dangerous vs. the Volcano?” Edgar read. “Hey, you guys wanna play?”

“Seriously Ed!?” Charley shouted. “This is not the time for...” he trailed off, looked up, and saw the volcano on the machine. A lightbulb flashed over his head. “That’s it!” he looked over the map again and saw the volcano. “We’re going to Mt. Eruptus!”

“Mt. Eruptus?” Said Barley, Edgar, Cuphead, and Mugman.

“It’s perfect!” Charley said. “Let’s go!” the men and spider rushed out. Edgar pocketed the jar of nickels.

Cuphead pulled back the curtain. “C’mon Mugsy, we’re going after them!” the cup said. He walked out of the store.

Mugman followed Cuphead outside and then grabbed the cup’s arm.

“Wait Cuphead,” the mug said. “I know you want to help Bendy, but we can’t just confront the gang. Listen, we should-”

“No, you listen,” Cuphead said after he turned around, a serious look on his face. “Bendy is trapped in that bottle and the Butcher Gang are planning to get rid of him. But we are going to stop them before that happens. Is that clear?”

Mugman was frozen with intimidation as Cuphead spoke with conviction. “Yes,” he answered slowly. “But Cuphead, how are we supposed to get them? They’re bigger and scarier than us.”

Cuphead sighed, he pulled out his goggles from his pocket... then he got an idea.

“Mugsy, what you need is a little extra confidence, then we can save Bendy.” The cup took Mugman in front of a mirror outside the emporium and slipped the goggles over the mug’s eyes. “And these Dirk Dangerous goggles are the key. This thing has some kind of magical power.”

“Really?” Mugman asked.

“Would I lie about something this important?” Cuphead said. “I’m telling you, when I put these on, I’m infused with confidence and bravery!”

“Confidence and bravery?” Mugman said. “Oh, yeah! Cuphead, I’m feeling a little dangerous.” He said confidently.

“That’s the spirit! Now let’s go save Bendy!”

The boys ran to the docks. They saw a walrus in a fisherman’s outfit talking to police officers.

“Can you describe the boat thieves, sir?” The bee officer asked.

“Yes, it was the Butcher Gang.” The walrus said. “They just threw me out of my boat and sailed it away that way.” He pointed in the direction of the volcano.

The volcano was huge. Lava bubbled over the crater and clouds circled the top of it.

“Let’s go,” Cuphead whispered. He and Mugman went further down the docks and found a suitable boat. “This tub oughta do nicely.”

Mugman shook his head and pointed at a sketchy raft.

“Shouldn’t we get the one that’s most seaworthy?” Cuphead asked.

“Dirk Dangerous doesn’t do seaworthy,” Mugman said already on the raft. “He does dangerous.”

“Ho, ho! Now you’re talking!” Cuphead said. He hopped on the raft and untied it from the dock. “We’re coming for ya’, Bendy!”

The raft rocked on choppy waters, but Mugman managed to steer while Cuphead held on the back, getting splashed in the face repeatedly in the process. The stolen boat was ahead of them.

“I gotta tell you, Mug... man,” Cuphead said. “Now that you’re so dangerous, I’m... even more excited for this... rescue mission!” the cup looked ahead and soon noticed the boat was going further away. “Hey, Mugsy, their boats’ gettin’ smaller. We need to catch up!”

“Don’t worry we’ll get them. After we go over the falls.” Mugman said before he pointed out the falls ahead of them.

“The falls?!” Cuphead shouted.

Soon they fell over the falls. Cuphead screamed as they fell and was then silenced as they splashed down at the bottom. The cup gasped for air after he lifted his head out of the water.

“That was... sensational!” Cuphead exclaimed excitedly.

Mugman emerged out of the water. “You just follow me, Cuphead.” He said. “These goggles give me a sense of adventure you can’t possibly comprehend.”

What Mugman didn’t notice though was that he was no longer wearing goggles.

Cuphead noticed the goggles floating behind the mug but before the cup could tell him an alligator grabbed the eyewear with his jaw and swam away.

Mugman turned around, confused. “What? What happened?” he asked.

“Uh... Nothing!” Cuphead lied. “You just, uh, look so brave in your goggles, which you’re wearing right now.”

“Great. Let’s find the gang and save our friend.”

Cuphead and Mugman walked through the jungle. There were large rolling rocks, venom-spitting flowers, piranha-infested waters, more rolling rocks, and man-eating plants. Mugman managed to avoid getting hurt from all these dangers, but Cuphead got hurt every time. Along the way, Mugman grabbed a vine, a venomous flower, and a stick. The brothers reached the foot of the volcano.

“Hmmm, no sign of the gang yet we must’ve beaten them here,” Mugman said. “We’re going to set a little trap for them.”

Cuphead, looking a little worse for wear, just stood there but gave his brother a thumbs up.

Meanwhile, Charley, Barley, and Edgar were on the trail to the volcano. Charley chuckled as Bendy glared up at him from inside the bottle.

“It’s gonna be so satisfying to see you burn up,” Charley said. “Then we’ll finally be rid of you,”

“Aye, this here be jolly,” Barley said.

“Say Charley, let me have a turn with the bottle,” Edgar said.

“No one’s holding this bottle ‘cept me!” Charley shouted and held the bottle close to his chest. “If this bottle breaks, then the little creep will get loose, and escape and you got major butterfingers.”

“That’s not true!” Edgar argued. “I don’t even have fingers!”

Suddenly the gang tripped over a vine that was stretched across their legs. They fell flat on their faces, but Charley was still gripping the bottle in his hand. The gang leader lifted his head as Mugman and Cuphead stepped forward.

“Hi’ya fellas,” Mugman greeted.

“You two again?” Charley yelled annoyed.

“That’s right, punks! Now, get a whiff of this!” Mugman yelled before he pointed a flower at the tall man.

The flower spat venom at the gang. They immediately broke out into rashes and their faces swelled. The Butcher Gang yelled and rolled over in pain.

Cuphead grabbed the bottle from Charley and pulled but the tall man pulled back, not willing to let go even in his discomfort.

“Give him to me!” the cup shouted.

“Never!” Charley shouted.

Mugman hit Charley’s arm with the stick, the tall man yelped, and lost his grip. Cuphead pulled the bottle close to his chest.

“You okay buddy?” Cuphead said to the little devil.

Bendy was bewildered but slowly smiled up at Cuphead and nodded.

“Stand down Butcher Gang!” Mugman said warningly. “You’re no match for me!”

Charley stood up followed by Barley and Edgar.

“We ain’t scared of some kids with a stick,” Charley said. “You’re the ones who should be scared of us,”

“Not this time! These goggles I’m wearing give me all the courage I need to face you palookas,”

The gang members glanced at each other, confused.

“What goggles?” Barley asked.

“Pfff. What goggles?” Mugman said. “The yellow goggles I’m wearing obviously,”

“Uh, you’re not wearing any goggles,” Edgar said.

Cuphead grew nervous while Mugman chuckled.

“That venom is ruining your vision because I’m clearly wearing...” Mugman reached for the goggles, but he didn’t feel them. “The...Um...” he looked at the now nervous Cuphead.

“Oh yeah, I’ve been meaning to tell ya...” Cuphead said nervously.

“I’m not wearing goggles...” Mugman said slowly. “No goggles? No goggles?!” he screamed and threw the stick up in the air. “This is bad. This is bad!”

“It’s about to get worse,” Charley said.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at Charley just as he threw a punch at them.

BAM

Charley, holding the bottle with Bendy, walked on a narrow ledge that circled the volcano leading to the top. Barley followed behind and Edgar had Mugman and Cuphead in cocoons on his back. The gangs’ faces were no longer swollen but now Cuphead and Mugman both had a black eye.

“So let me get this straight,” Mugman said angrily. “You lied to me,”

“Yeah... but I was just trying to help ya’,” Cuphead said.

“There’s no justifying a lie!”

“Would you two shut up!” Charley shouted.

The volcano shook and everyone looked down, seeing the dizzying height.

“Maybe we should turn aft,” Barley said. “This volcanos fixin’ to blow!”

“Not until we throw this in!” Charley said as he shook the bottle. “And the cups too,”

“Why is it so important to reach the crater?” Edgar asked nervously. “There’s lava everywhere! Can’t we just do it here?”

“No! We’ve got to reach the top.” Charley said. “Now let’s move!” After a while, they reached the crater. “Alright,” the tall man said with a dark chuckle.

Suddenly the sky grew darker as a black cloud formed up above... but Charley barely noticed as he held up the bottle over the crater. He looked at Bendy one more time.

“This is what you get for ruining my—... I mean our lives!” Charley said. He raised the bottle over his head.

“Hey!” Barley shouted. “How comes ye get to be the one to throw ‘im in?”

Charley looked at the sailor blankly.

“Yeah, we were all thrown the Slammer because of him,” Edgar whined.

Charley grunted and rolled his eyes. “Fine, we hold it and throw it at the same time, deal?” he said.

“Deal!” Barley and Edgar agreed.

“Opp, one second,” the spider said. He tied Cuphead and Mugman to a rock. “Don’t you two go anywhere,” he joked before walking away.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar raised the bottle.

“Wait!” Edgar yelled. “We should say something first,”

“I already did,” Charley argued.

“Yeah, but I got something to say too.” Edgar grabs the bottle. “Bendy, you really made a mess of things, like when were teens off the street and you...”

Back on the rock, Cuphead tried to appeal to the downtrodden mug.

“Mugsy, I’m sorry. I should’a just told you that you lost the goggles hours ago. If I did, you wouldn’t have done all that dangerous stuff and got caught like this. Now we’re gonna die!” Cuphead sobbed.

Mugman, who had been expressionless, suddenly perked up. “Wait. Say that again,” he said.

“I’m sorry,” Cuphead said.

“No, after that,”

“Now we’re gonna die?”

“No. You said I lost the goggles hours ago. That means I did that dangerous stuff without them! I crossed raging seas. Faced the dangers of the jungle. And I even stood up to the Butcher Gang! Don’t you see, Cuphead? The goggles were inside me this whole time!”

“Gross. But I see your point.” Cuphead then started to wriggle around. “If I can just reach for my pocketknife.”

“Me turn,” Barley said before he grabbed the bottle and cleared his throat.

Cuphead found the pocketknife, grabbed it, and started cutting through the spider thread.

“Hurry, hurry,” Mugman said.

“I’m tryin’,” Cuphead said.

“Enough talkin’!” Charley yelled. “It’s time for chuckin’.”

Charley walked a little closer to the edge and raised the bottle over his head. Barley and Edgar stood close, smiling widely.

The cup was franticly cutting, “NO!” he cried out.

Suddenly, there came a crackle of thunder, a flash of light, and then-.

ZAP

A bolt of lightning struck down from the sky to the tip of the bottle. It zapped Charley, Barley, and Edgar. Their bodies glowed, their skeletons showed, and they grunted and screamed.

Bendy, however, was unaffected by the electricity. There seemed to be an invisible sphere around the bottle, protecting it.

Cuphead and Mugman froze at the sight, but the cup snapped out of it and cut his cocoon open. Then he cut Mugman’s cocoon until he was free.

When the lightning finally stopped, the Butcher Gang were crispy statues before they fell over backward and passed out.

The cloud disappeared and the cups ran to catch the bottle as it rolled out of the tall man’s hand. The cup caught the bottle.

“Gotcha buddy!” Cuphead said. He grabbed the cork and pulled it... but it didn’t come off. “C’mon, you stupid!”

“What’s wrong?” Mugman asked.

“It’s stuck!” Cuphead said as he still struggled with the cork. Something grabbed his leg, and he screamed. “AH!”

It was Charley! He was twitching and glaring at the cup. “Gimmie back—... my—my bottle!” He yelled between twitches.

Mugman stomped on Charley’s arm, and the man yowled.

“Run that way!” Mugman yelled.

“Okay!” Cuphead yelled.

Cuphead ran around the crater while Mugman dug through Edgar’s pockets. He pulled out the jar of nickels and ran as the spider regained consciousness.

“Hey! Get back here!” Charley yelled. Something hit his back, he turned his head and saw spider webbing sticking on his back. “Edgar!”

“Sorry Charley-” Edgar said between twitches. Webbing shot out of his behind again as he twitched, and it hit Barley’s chest. 

“Arg!” Barley shouted.

The spider saw the jar under Mugman’s arm.

“Hey, that’s my jar of nickels!” Edgar shouted.

“No! It’s me and Cuphead’s nickels!” Mugman shouted back before running.

The spider chased the mug.

“C’mon Barley! Before the cup opens the bottle!” Charley shouted. He and Barley chased Cuphead.

Mugman kept running but stopped, a large rolling rock was blocking his path.

Edgar chuckled as he closed in on the mug. “Nowhere to run now,” he said.

Mugman frowned. “I guess you’re right.” He said. He raised his hands. “I surrender,”

Edgar aimed himself and fired a string of webbing at Mugman. The mug smirked before jumping out of the way, dodging the web. It hit the rock and the spider pulled on the webbing, but instead of snapping the rock was pulled forward and rolled.

“Uh oh,” Edgar muttered.

Barley and Charley nearly had Cuphead before they heard Edgar screaming. They turned around and saw the spider stuck to the rock as it rolled in their direction.

Cuphead jumped out of the way, but Charley and Barley got caught on the rock.

Mugman ran over and grabbed Cuphead’s arm, they jumped off the crater and into a nest with a large yellow egg.

The rock rolled off the crater and rolled down the volcano. The men yelled as they went. The rock slowly stopped once it reached the ground. The guys sighed before the ground shook. The rock landed on a geyser, and, after a few shakes, it burst, and the Butcher Gang was sent flying across the sky and then disappeared.

“Wow,” Cuphead and Mugman said as they watched.

Mugman took the bottle and pulled on the cork one more time and-

POP

The cork was off. Mugman dipped the bottle, and a black mass poured out. Before their eyes, the liquid grew and reshaped itself back into the shape of the little devil.

Once he was back, Bendy took a deep breath.

“You okay buddy?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy nodded before straightening his tie and fixing his hair. “Listen, not that I don’t appreciate it, but why did you do this?” he asked.

“Do what?” Mugman asked.

“Rescue me. You didn’t have to.” Bendy said.

Cuphead and Mugman looked confused.

“What do you mean? ‘Course we had to. You would’ve done the same for us,” Cuphead said.

“Actually, you have, a lot. This was the least we could do,” Mugman pointed out.

Bendy frowned. “Oh, I see, you just didn’t want to be in debt to me,” he said. “I get it, I’m a devil so-”

“NO!” Cuphead yelled. “I mean, we didn’t rescue you cause of that. We rescued you ‘cause you’re our friend.”

Bendy looked taken aback. “Really?” he asked. “Even though I’m a devil,”

“That doesn’t matter to me or Mugsy. Right?” Cuphead said.

“Right! We know you’re not after Cuphead’s soul like your dad, but we are curious as to why you choose to hang with us,”

Bendy drummed his fingers against his knees for a second as the cups looked at him expectingly.

“I don’t know,” Bendy answered. “I just... like you guys. You’re the first people I’ve ever seen outsmart my dad and live. And you’re kinda fun.”

“Aw,” Cuphead and Mugman sighed.

“Don’t get used to me complimenting you.”

“Fine with us,” Mugman said. “If that’s how you feel then you’re definitely our friend. Kitten, devil, or whatever,”

“And nothin’s changing that anytime soon,” Cuphead concluded.

Cuphead and Mugman hugged Bendy.

The little devil felt a warm feeling in his chest and his eyes stung with tears. ‘They saved me because they like me despite everything.’ Bendy thought. ‘From now on, I’m protecting these crazy cups. On my word as a devil,’

“Guys, I-” Bendy tried to say before the volcano started rumbling.

The ledge holding the nest broke off making the nest fall. The boys landed on the huge egg now perched against another ledge. The rumbling continued. The boys looked up and screamed as the volcano erupted. They used the egg to roll down the volcano as lava flowed behind them.

At Porkrind’s emporium, the owner was sitting behind the counter and enjoying the silence. Suddenly, Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy crashed through the door. Bendy was in his cat disguise.

“Hi, Porkrind!” Cuphead and Mugman greeted loudly.

“You would not believe the adventure we’ve had,” the cup said.

“Don’t care,” Porkrind said.

“We went to Mt. Eruptus,” Mugman said.

“Don’t care.”

“We beat back the Butcher Gang-” Cuphead said.

“Still don’t care,”

“And we even brought you a gift,” Cuphead said. He passed the egg-shaped bag on Porkrind’s desk.

“I don’t- a gift?” Porkrind asked.

“Yepp,” Bendy said with a knowing smirk.

“And now that we’re back, there’s only one thing left to do. Time to break my high score!” Cuphead said.

Mugman grabbed Cuphead’s arm. “Uh, Cuphead?” he said.

“What is it, Mugsy?” Cuphead asked.

“I’m feeling a little... dangerous,” Mugman said confidently. The brothers walk over to the pinball machine, “Nickel me.”

Mugman was about to put a nickel in the slot.

“Oh, no, you don’t!” Porkrind said. He tore the pinball machine from the wall and then shoved it into Cuphead and Mugman’s hands. “Here! Take it! And get out!” he shouted.

The brothers laughed and skipped as they carried the game away.

“Thank you, Porkrind!” Mugman shouted cheerfully.

Bendy walked out of the emporium. “Goodbye Porkrind, enjoy your gift,” he said. He tried to suppress a chuckle.

Porkrind went behind his counter, crossing his arms and muttering. “Fricking, fracking, lousy kids. Gift, huh? Wonder what it is,” he opened the bag, revealing the large, yellow egg. “An egg?”

The egg suddenly rattled before it hatched to reveal a small, green, three-headed dragon.

“Aw, cute.” Porkrind said as he picked up the dragon and scratched its belly, “I know what I’m having for dinner.”

The emporium started rumbling before a giant three-headed dragon ripped off the roof of the wagon. It roared and took the small dragon. The dragon breathed fire onto the shop. When the fire subsided, the dragon flew away and Porkrind was still somehow standing despite his shop being destroyed.

“I hate those kids,” Porkrind said.

Chapter Text

95 years ago...

A horse was pulling a wagon with a man at the reins. He’s wearing a coat, black pants, a tall hat, and a scarf covering half of his face. He rode towards the gates of the underworld. He stopped the wagon just before he reached it, stepped out, and grabbed a basket with a blanket inside from the wagon. He slipped the basket through the gate.

Just then a giant black demonic spider lowered down, and it had its red eyes on the intruder. The spider swung down and hissed at the stranger.

The stranger dropped the basket and ran away to the wagon, and never once looked back.

The spider looked down at the basket and saw something shuffle under the blanket before going still again. Smiling, the spider licked its lips before grabbing the handle of the basket and crawling back up. Before the sider got too far up, a bat grabbed the spider with its claws and bit it. The basket was thrown away and it landed on the back of a big alligator demon. The gator demon walked past many tunnels, the basket going unnoticed until two flying devil imps spotted it and stole it off the demon’s back. They flew until they reached a safe place to land and looked at the basket.

“What have we here?” Demon #21 wondered.

“Must be garbage,” Demon #30 said poking the basket.

There came a soft whine after the poke and something in the basket shifted. Demon #21 lifted the end of the blanket and then gasped.

“Let me see,” Demon #30 said shoving #21 away. He gasped too before he put the blanket down. “Where did it come from?” Demon #30 asked.

“Do you want to stop that demon and ask it?” Demon #21 said.

The imps looked at the gator demon and noticed its sharp teeth.

“I think I’ll pass,” Demon #30 said. “Maybe we should take it to the boss,”

“What are you nuts? You know how he feels about... these things.”

“Mmmm. Maybe Henchman instead,”

“Good idea,”

They picked up the basket and carried it to the throne room.

In the Throne Room, The Devil was watching as several other imps were trying to entertain him through dance and musical instruments. The Devil watched but was not amused while Henchman, standing next to the throne, watched with a smile. At the end of the show, The Devil clapped still looking unimpressed.

“Yes, yes, very good,” The Devil said. “You can go now,”

The imps ran away.

“Thank hell’s bells that’s over. What now Henchman?”

“Uh, we gotta go to that lecher review with Stickler,” Henchman answered.

The Devil groaned before standing up and walking away with Henchman.

Demon #21 and #30 walked into the throne room towards Henchman.

Demon #21 cleared his throat and tapped Henchman’s shoulder.

“Begging your pardon sir,” he said.

“What is it?” Henchman asked.

“We found this basket and—”

The Devil turned and leaned over the devil imps. “Oh good, a distraction! What is it?” he asked excitedly.

The imps stutter, not sure how to answer.

“Well, speak up. What is it?” The Devil asked again sternly. He poked the sides of the basket, and a soft whine came out. “That better not be what I think it is,” he seethed.

The big devil took the basket and pulled back the blanket, Henchman looked as well. They gasped.

It looked like a kitten wearing a diaper, but it had no nose and a demon tail. It purred in its sleep.

Henchman cooed as he looked at it while The Devil looked displeased before covering it back up.

“Where did you get that thing?” The big devil asked.

“It was on some demon’s back.” Demon #21 said, “But he probably didn’t even know it was on him.”

“Put it back or better yet take it outside the gate,” The Devil said. “I’m sure it’s someone else’s problem,”

Henchman noticed a piece of paper from the basket, pulled it out, and read it.

“Uh, boss, this baby doesn’t have anyone else,” Henchman said after reading the note. “it says so right here,”

“Did you two put that there?” The Devil said to the imps. They shook their heads. “Read it,” The Devil ordered Henchman.

“This baby’s mother is gone, and no one knows who his father is. But it’s clear that this is a spawn of the underworld, so it should stay there!”

The big devil took the paper and read it himself.

The Devil groaned as he crumbled up the paper in his hand. “There are two things I don’t want to see in my Underworld. Little old ladies and babies. And babies are the worst! Sniveling, whiny, dribbling, sticky-fingered pests that scream and cry demanding constant attention! I can’t stand them! Get rid of it!”

“But boss, we do have demon babies down here,” Henchman said.

“I only allow those here as long as they are kept away from me. I don’t want to see them, hear them, or smell them.” The Devil stuck out his tongue in disgust.

“But what if this baby is a demon,” Henchman said before he pulled the blanket to see the baby. “I mean, he’s got a demon tail,”

“That’s not definitive proof,” The Devil after he put the blanket back over the baby. “At least it’s asleep.”

“Ahem, excuse me!” came Stickler’s voice, the sound of it made everyone cringe.

“WHAAA!” The baby cried out.

“Oh no, no, no, no!” The Devil said as he covered his ears.

The baby’s cry was loud, but the strangest thing was that the Underworld shook with its cries.

“Now look what you’ve done!” The Devil shouted at Stickler.

The two imps ran away before they could get blasted, and Henchman grabbed the basket handle.

“Aww, don’t cry little guy, it’s okay,” Henchman cooed as he gently swung the basket side to side. His method was working, and the baby quickly calmed down and the ground stopped shaking. Soon the baby was asleep again.

Stickler was about to clear his throat when the big devil pointed his pitchfork at him.

“Clear your throat one more time and I’ll destroy you right here, right now,” The Devil warned quietly.

“Is that a baby in a basket?” Stickler asked quietly.

“Yes, it is,” The Devil answered quietly. “We were on our way to the meeting when two imps brought this thing here.” He handed Stickler the note that came with the basket. “We were about to get rid of it.”

“But he may be a demon baby,” Henchman said while holding the basket.

After reading the note, Stickler spoke, “If it is a demon spawn, then it must remain in the Underworld. It’s in the rules,”

“Where does it say that?” The Devil asked.

Stickler raised his book and opened it. “Per Clause 226B subsection D, otherwise known as the “You Made It, You Keep it” policy... All demon spawns must remain in the Underworld with their parent/s and or other blood relatives that currently reside.”

“Fine, once we find its parents, it’ll be their problem.” The big devil said. “C’mon Henchman, we’re taking it to Cerberus,”

“The guard dog?” Henchman asked.

“Yes. If the baby’s father is alive and he is a demon, then Cerberus will find him in no time. Now let’s go,” The Devil said.

“The ledger review, sir,” Stickler said.

“Postponed until this matter is resolved,” The Devil said.

The Devil and Henchman left, with the basket, to go see Cerberus. The giant three-headed hellhound who guarded the gates to the Underworld keeping intruders out and the dead in. They show no mercy and take orders from no one except for the big devil.

The Devil and Henchman made it to the Gate area where Cerberus stayed.

“Oh Cerberus,” The Devil said in a sing-song voice.

The dog lowered their three heads, and the big devil scratched the middle one’s chin.

“Who’s my faithful, frightening hound? You are. Yes, you are,” The Devil cooed. He cleared his throat. “Now, I got a job for you. I need you to sniff out this baby’s parents. Henchman, the child,”

The purple demon was shaking as he gave the basket to The Devil before he backed away in fear.

The Devil raised the basket, and Cerberus took a sniff with all three noses. One head picked up the basket with its teeth as the other two sniffed the air.

“There, once they get the scent, they’ll find the baby’s parent, dump the thing on them, and we can move on.” The Devil said. But hardly had he finished when the basket was dropped right into his arms. Flabbergasted, the big devil looked back at the hound. “No, no, no, you’re supposed to give this to its parent, not back to me,” he said. He shoved the basket back, but Cerberus pushed it back to him. The Devil pushed it back, but Cerberus just pushed it back again. It pointed its paw at the big devil.

Henchman gasped. “Boss! I think they’re saying you’re the baby’s dad.” He said.

“No,” The Devil said in disbelief. “It can’t be. Maybe they’re just confused.” He floated up and put the basket handle back in the hound’s jaw. “I said find the baby’s parent.” He said firmly.

Cerberus pressed its middle nose against the big devil’s chest and pointed right at him.

“Uh, it looks like they did,” Henchman said. “Congratulations?”

“No, there is no way it’s mine,” The Devil insisted. “I couldn’t have,”

“Well, let’s just think back. What were you doing nine months ago?” Henchman said.

“Hmmm, I don’t remember,”

“Let’s check your schedule,”

The Devil and Henchman were in the Record Room and dug through books, trying to find any clues while the baby was set to the side.

“I found it!” Henchman said excitedly as he held up the schedule log.

“Shhh!” the big devil hushed.

The baby stirred and started to whine.

“Great, well, rock it back to sleep.” The Devil said.

Henchman handed the book to The Devil before trying to calm down the baby.

“It’s okay Little Boss, don’t worry,” Henchman said.

“What did you just call it?” The Devil asked.

“Well, I just thought, if he’s your baby—”

“We don’t know that for sure!”

The ground shook as the baby started crying.

“Make it stop already!” The Devil ordered.

“I’m trying but he won’t go to sleep,” Henchman said. “Maybe he’s hungry,”

The Devil groaned before slamming his pitchfork down and a baby bottle full of milk appeared. He handed it to Henchman.

“Feed it so it’ll stop screaming.” The Devil ordered.

Henchman picked the baby up out of the basket, held it in the blanket, and fed the baby demon. The baby calmed down as he drank, and the two grown demons sighed.

The Devil browsed through the book. It was currently February, so he flipped the pages back to last June. The word ‘5 Billion’ was written in bold print and circled across the paper. The big devil gasped.

“What is it?” Henchman asked.

“I’m starting to remember what happened nine months ago.” The Devil said. “The soul counter reached five billion souls. I was really excited about it, and I wanted to celebrate. But I wanted to do something different. So, I went to the surface world by myself to have some fun,”

“Oh yeah, I remember that day,” Henchman said. “You didn’t come home until the day after and you were such a mess,” Their eyes widened as they looked at the baby in Henchman’s arms. “Uh, Boss. Do you remember who you were “having fun” with that night?” He said.

“Hmmm,” The Devil hummed as he tried to remember but his mind kept drawing a blank. “I do not,” he answered sheepishly.

And that is how The Devil found out he was a father.

Although the big devil kept trying to deny it, all evidence proved that the baby demon was his and according to the rules, he must keep it and rear it himself. Which, for The Devil, was a big adjustment. He tried to avoid any chance of gaining attachment to the baby. He wouldn’t even give him a name. He just called him ‘pest’.

The baby cried every night, and the big devil didn’t get much sleep. Which made him especially cranky. The baby was also fussy most of the time and didn’t want to eat. And when the baby screamed or cried, everyone in the underworld knew it because the baby’s cries made the world shake.

Of course, Henchman was charged with doing most of the dirty work (changing the diapers, bathing, feeding) but that didn’t change the fact that the little devil was The Devil’s responsibility.

This went on for many weeks and The Devil’s patience was near the breaking point. One night, when the baby cried, the big devil got out of bed and stared down at it.

“I have had it,” The Devil said before he picked up the baby and held it in his arm. He slammed down the pitchfork and disappeared with the baby. They reappeared in the surface world in the woods. Snow covered the ground, and it was late at night. “I don’t care about the rules anymore. You’re out!”

The chill of the night air made the big devil shudder, and he accidentally pressed the crying baby against him.

“If the cold air doesn’t finish you off, the wolves probably will.” The Devil said.

Suddenly the big devil noticed that the crying had stopped, and he felt a tugging on his fur. He looked down and saw the baby gently pulling on his fur.

“Hey, hands off, you little pest,” The Devil said as he pulled the baby’s hands. He yiped when some tuffs of his fur were pulled off.

A new sound came from the baby that surprised The Devil.

“It laughed,” The Devil said slowly. “Huh, I think that’s the first time I’ve heard you do anything other than scream and make my ears bleed,”

The baby laughed again and smiled at the big devil.

“Oh, so you think that’s funny. Well, I’ll show you what I think is funny,” The Devil used his pitchfork to levitate the baby devil up and placed him on a tree branch. “There, you’ll be a snack for the birds.”

The baby laughed and waved his arms around.

The Devil brought the baby back down with his powers. “I’ll say this much for you, at least you’re not a cowardly pest.”

The baby looked at The Devil and reached his hands towards him. But the big devil just pulled him out of reach.

“Oh no, no one touches my face,” The Devil said. “Especially not with grubby baby fingers.”

CRUNCH

The Devil heard a footstep in the snow. Using his pitchfork, The Devil flew into the sky and away from the woods. Then he hid behind a tree and held the baby to his chest. He relaxed and sighed, only to then feel something new against his chest. He looked down and saw the baby rubbing and nuzzling against him. It yawned before resting against The Devil’s fur and purr as it fell asleep.

The Devil found he was unable to pull the child away this time and after a few seconds, he teleported back to The Underworld with the baby.

The next time the baby cried, Henchman was about to grab him, but The Devil stopped him.

“I’ll take this one,” The Devil said before he took the baby and held him.

“Really Boss?” Henchman asked in surprise.

“Yes, really,” The Devil said. He grabbed the bottle and fed the baby.

When Henchman saw this, he had to pinch himself just to make sure he wasn’t dreaming.

Time passed and The Devil felt himself growing fond of his little pest, though he wouldn’t dare admit it out loud. Henchman noticed though, especially when the big devil came to the baby’s checkup with the underworld doctor with Henchman.

The doctor was wearing a white robe and white wizard hat. They had pitch-black hands, a long red nose, and yellow eyes with green pupils. No sign of a mouth.

“This demon-ling is perfectly healthy,” the doctor said. “and, interestingly, he has no bones.”

“No bones?” The Devil asked.

“No bones.” The doctor repeated. “He’s very bendable. Watch this sir,” The doctor bent the baby’s arm in half. Once he let go, it sprung back into place and the baby laughed.

“Hmmm, bendable,” The Devil said. “Not bad, little pest,”

One day, The Devil was in very high spirits and wanted to dance on the stage. So, he gathered up some devil imps and Henchman, who had the baby with him, and The Devil put on a show. At the end of the show, Henchman clapped and cheered as usual but what was really surprising was that the baby squealed and screamed in approval.

The Devil smiled when he saw that.

The big devil had a new basket made for the baby, one with wheels to make travel around the underworld easier. One day, The Devil was getting another painting of himself done when he looked at his baby lying in the basket. He suddenly had an idea.

“Henchman,” The Devil said.

The purple demon walked up and saluted. “Yeah Boss?” he said.

“Bring the little one here,”

Henchman carefully brought the baby over and The Devil held him close. Soon the painting was finished. Besides Henchman, The Devil never let anyone else be in his paintings with him, but this would be the first of him and his little devil together.

One day, The Devil wrapped a sling over his shoulder and across the torso and put the baby in it.

“Are you sure this is safe Boss?” Henchman said. “Wouldn’t it be better putting Little Boss in the basket?”

“Henchman, I can’t go tormenting people and pushing a basket around at the same time,” The Devil said. “No, this just makes more sense. Now, if you’ll excuse us. The little pest and I are going to inconvenience a lot of people.”

Once the big devil is out of sight, the purple demon’s eyes welled up with tears. “They’re so cute together.” He said.

The Devil teleported on a hill with a view of Inkwell City and took a breath of fresh air.

“Take it in, little one, apart from taking souls, this is your dad’s other favorite thing to do,” he said.

He slammed down the pitchfork, and they teleported into the city. What follows was a series of pranks, tricks, and dirty deeds done by The Devil while his baby watched. The baby laughed when his father laughed at the people screaming in horror or fright.

At one point, the Devil held the baby over the side of a building and let the baby’s spit fall on some unsuspecting persons below. When one man yelled for getting spit in his eye, the big devil laughed and hugged the baby close.

“You’re a natural at this, little pest,” The Devil said. “Nicely done,”

The baby laughed and reached for the big devil’s face.

“No. We’ve been over this,” The Devil said firmly as he moved the baby away. “No one touches my face.”

The baby slowly dropped his arms to his sides and looked away sadly.

Usually, such a sight wouldn’t bother The Devil, but seeing his little pest like this really bothered him. Slowly he brought the baby closer until their faces were touching. The baby was surprised at first but slowly reached up, grabbed on, and nuzzled into his father’s face. A stifled sob came out of The Devil’s mouth, and he blinked away tears.

“What’s happening to me?” The Devil wondered.

He pulled the baby demon back and looked at him. Seeing those little yellow eyes with red pupils looking up at him brought out a new feeling he hadn’t felt before. Or maybe he felt it for a while now and didn’t want to acknowledge it.

Parental Affection.

The big devil slammed his pitchfork down and they teleported away.

A While Later...

Henchman softly knocked on the door to The Devil’s bedroom.

“Boss, are you back yet?” Henchman asked. He opened the door and saw The Devil lying in bed with the baby surrounded by cushions and pillows.

“Bendable. Ben-da-bull.” The Devil whispered. “Bendaul. Hmmm,”

“Hey boss, how did it go? Did you and Little Boss have fun?”

“It was eventful,” The Devil said. “I’ve made up my mind about something,”

“Oh?”

“Yes,” The Devil said after he sat up, “But before I tell you what it is, I need you to do something. Gather up all the demons and imps and tell them I’m about to make an announcement. No excuses. No exceptions. Everyone must be at the announcement room in ten minutes. Now go!”

“Yes Boss,” Henchman said before he flew away.

The Devil took another look at the sleeping baby devil. He smiled warmly at him.

Ten Minutes Later...

Every demon and imp were in a large room. There’s a balcony with a podium overlooking the room. Everyone went quiet when The Devil stood behind the podium with the baby bundled in his left arm.

“Attention everyone!” The Devil said. “I’ve gathered you all here to address a rumor going around that I, The Devil, had an unplanned baby. Well, this is me telling you that those rumors are correct. Yes, the baby is mine. Yes, it was unexpected. And, no I haven’t changed my mind about babies in general.”

The Devil raised the baby.

“This is my son, Bendall Devil. An heir to the throne of the Underworld. From now on he shall be addressed as Prince Bendall Devil or even Little Boss. Once he’s old enough, no one shall be above his authority except for myself. And if anyone has a problem with that, they’ll answer to me!” He pulled his son back into his arms and his pitchfork burst into flames. “On that note, I think such an occasion calls for a celebration. So, for the next few hours, everyone in the Underworld will celebrate! A “RA” for Bendall Devil!”

Everyone chanted before The Devil slammed down his pitchfork and turned the room into a party room. All the demons and imps partied. Bendall was placed in a bassinet where demons and imps could take turns getting a look at him.

“Bendall? Uh, where did you get that name, Boss?” Henchman wondered.

“It’s something I made up but it’s a real name. It means “bold ruler”.” The Devil explained. “As a future king, I thought it was fitting for him.”

The Devil grabbed a bottle of strong liquor and pulled the cork.

“Uh, be careful with that, Boss,” Henchman said. “You’re a dad now.”

“Thank you, Henchman,” The Devil said. “But I’ll be fine. A few sips won’t hurt,”

The Devil opened the bottle and took a whiff, suddenly, blurry visions raced in his mind, and he coughed.

“You alright Boss?” Henchman asked.

“I’m fine, it’s nothing,” The Devil insisted.

The big devil stepped away and took a sip.

The vision became clearer. A humanoid woman, singing on a stage. She was dressed in black, she had long black hair, gray skin, blue eyes, and a mole under her right eye. She was looking in his direction and smiling with her doll lips.

This time, The Devil took a bigger sip and had a vision of that same woman again in an alleyway. She smiled at him and pulled him away somewhere.

“You lonely mister?” she asked.

“N’ah, I’m celebrating,” The Devil said with a slur.

“Hehehe. Would you like some company then?”

“Hmmm, that I would...”

The Devil gasped. “Alice...” he uttered before he dropped the bottle.

SHATTER

Henchman came rushing over and saw the broken bottle on the floor.

“What happened?” the purple demon asked...but the big devil hadn’t moved and only looked ahead, distantly. “Uh Boss, are you okay?” Henchman asked.

The Devil cracked his neck and looked at Henchman with a fake smile. “I’m fine. I think I’ll have some punch instead.” He said before he walked away. The big devil went to the bassinet and held his baby close to him.

‘I remember now. But it doesn’t matter.’ The Devil thought as he looked at his son who looked back at him happily. ‘You’re my son and only mine. Your mother’s gone and she can never come back,’

Present...

After the lightning hit the Butcher Gang, the clouds vanished except for a small part that flew away. A while later, a woman in a white dress with angel wings on her back came out of that cloud and she watched the three boys laughing as they walked towards the Kettle Cottage.

“Oh Ben, I’m so glad you’ve made friends,” Alice, the angel, said, her blue eyes tearing up a little.

She tucked a strand of her long black hair behind her ear. A clap of thunder caught her attention.

“I’ll be right there,” Alice said.

She smiled seeing the little devil walk into the cottage with the cup and mug before she flew into the clouds.

Chapter Text

It was a peaceful morning at the Kettle Cottage in the Inkwell Forest. Kettle walked up the stairs, passing by many pictures of him in his youth. With a skip in his step, he whistled a merry tune as he walked down the hall. He took a moment to admire his war medals and salute his helmet. He walked to the door to Cuphead and Mugman’s room.

“Yoo-hoo! Boys! Breakfast is ready!” Elder Kettle said.

“Be right there, Elder Kettle!” said Cuphead and Mugman behind the door.

The kettle was about to walk away until he heard the boys talking amongst themselves.

“Isn’t he the greatest?” Mugman said.

“Yeah. I can’t believe how full of life he is, especially for his age.” Cuphead said.

‘Oh, my boys,’ Elder Kettle thought happily.

“Don’t ya just love him?” Mugman said.

“Mugman.” Elder Kettle whispered and beamed with joy.

“Eh. I’m still in the “like” stage.” Cuphead said.

Kettle gasped. “Cuphead!” he whispered.

“What’s not to love?!” Mugman said.

Kettle nodded.

“Well, for one thing, he’s dirty, filthy, and disgusting!” Cuphead said.

Kettle gasped again and inspected his gloves.

“He can’t help the way he is. Now let’s eat. I’m starvin’!” Mugman said.

Kettle gasped and quickly tiptoed away. He accidentally got hit in the face with the overhead lamp hanging from the ceiling. He grunted and sucked some air through his teeth as he walked down the stairs and headed into the kitchen. Kettle grabbed a pot and looked at his reflection. He smacked his lips.

“Maybe I am disgusting.” The kettle said sadly.

Kettle spotted a bottle of ‘JIMBO’S SPIT SHINE’ polish and a rag. He took the bottle and added a few drops of the polish onto the rag. He rubbed it into his arm and his arm sparkled. He poured some of the polish over his head, drank the rest of it down, threw away the empty bottle, and used the rag to rub the polish over the rest of his body.

Cuphead and Mugman walked into the kitchen. A bright light shined on them, and their pupils burned up in their eyes. They covered their eyes.

“My eyeballs are on fire!” Mugman screamed.

“Why is it so bright?!” Cuphead yelled.

Kettle was now shiny and silvery.

“Just your dear Elder Kettle looking his shiny best.” He said. “Not a single speck or smudge. No, sirree!” He placed two plates of bacon and eggs on the table as the boys sat down on their chairs.

“Hope you love it.” He said to Mugman lovingly. “Hope it’s in the “like” stage.” He said to Cuphead angrily.

The boys looked confused.

“What’s with him?” Cuphead asked Mugman. The mug just shrugged while he ate.

“Get a load of this shine, would ya?” Kettle said with a chuckle. “I—” he took a step, not noticing the bottle of polish on the floor, suddenly he slipped and landed with a thud. He groaned with a broken flowerpot on his head. “E-Everything’s fine!” He said standing with a strained smile on his face. “Still shiny!” he lifted the pot, and a layer of dirt covered him. He coughed.

RING RING RING

Suddenly, the phone started ringing.

“I got it!” Cuphead yelled excitedly. He rushed out of the kitchen before anyone could respond and he picked up the phone. “Hello. Oh hey, buddy! Listen, can you come over? Great! See ya soon,” he said before he hung up the phone. “Mugsy, it’s Bendy, he’s coming over.”

Mugman quickly finished his breakfast followed by Cuphead.

“Thanks for breakfast,” Mugman said before leaving.

“See you later, Elder Kettle,” Cuphead said before leaving too.

Kettle rubbed the dirt out of his eyes and was now back to his non-shiny self.

“Aw, that didn’t go well,” Kettle said with a sigh. “Wonder what they’re saying about me now.”

The floorboard creaked as Kettle snuck up to the boys’ room. He placed a glass cup against the door and listened.

“Looks like we were wrong about how great he’s doing,” Mugman said.

“Yeah, he’s gone downhill,” Cuphead said. “We gotta do something fast.”

Kettle gasped.

“Did you hear a gasp?” Cuphead asked.

Kettle gasped louder and steam came out of his nose. He fell on his face and then got back up on his feet.

“Uh, sorry about that, boys.” The kettle said. “I just gasped twice and fell down. But I’m fine! I’m walking away now! Toodle-oo!” he hummed before taking some silent steps in place before quieting down. He put the glass cup against the door again and listened.

“Let’s be realistic, Mugsy. I don’t think we can take care of him anymore.” Cuphead said.

“Are you suggesting that we send him away?” Mugman said.

“Send me away?” Kettle whispered worriedly.

“No. I think we should give him a chance.” Mugman said.

“Look, would you feel better if we get a second opinion?” Cuphead asked.

“Sure, but from who?” Mugman asked.

“Bendy! When he comes over, we’ll ask him to look him over, and see what he thinks.”

“Like observe him?”

“Exactly!”

Kettle gasped and ran down the hall. He bumped into the overhead lamp again on his way to the stairs and bumped into a few of his pictures.

Mugman walked up behind Kettle. “Elder Kettle? Are you okay?” he asked. Cuphead stepped next to him.

Kettle’s nose whistled. “Never been better! Just rearranging a few things before your friend arrives,” he said.

“Here, let me help you,” Mugman said.

Kettle flinched back. “Ah! Shoo! Scat! I am perfectly capable of doing things on my own.” He said.

“Are you okay, Elder Kettle?” Cuphead asked.

“I’m not old!” Kettle yelled. He ran away, bumped into the lamp, groaned while rubbing his head, and walked down the stairs.

Cuphead and Mugman shrugged their shoulders as they glanced at each other before they went back to their room.

A Few Minutes Later...

Elder Kettle was outside now and pulling a tire across the yard. He suddenly heard someone whistling. He turned his head and saw kitten Bendy walking around the gate.

“Uh, yoo-hoo! Bendy!” Kettle called out.

Bendy turned his head and saw Kettle.

“Oh, hi Mr. Kettle,” Bendy said. “I was just about to—”

“Hold that thought,” Kettle interjected. “Oh, boys!”

Cuphead and Mugman opened their window.

“Okay you three, watch this,” Kettle said as he cracked his knuckles.

He rubbed his hands before straining to lift the tire. It took a few seconds and a lot of air huffing before he was able to lift the tire over his head. His arms leaned to the left.

CRACK

Kettle’s face turned red, and his nose whistled. He fell on his back and grunted.

“Ta-da!”

“What are you doing?” Cuphead asked.

“Do you need some help?” Bendy asked.

“You poor elderly thing,” Mugman said.

“I’m not hurt. Not one bit. I’m hip.” Kettle said still on the ground.

CRACK

“My hip!” Kettle said with a yelp.

Bendy hopped the fence and walked closer to Kettle. “Here, let me-”

Kettle shooed the kitten away. “No! Shoo! I’m fine! Now you get inside! And you two, close that window or... or you’re all grounded!”

Bendy rushed inside the cottage and the brothers closed the window.

Kettle groaned as he got up. “Aw, dishwater. Now what are they gonna say about me?” he wondered.

Kettle grabbed a ladder and rested it against the cottage, close to the window to the boys’ room. He climbed the window, peeked inside, and saw a makeshift tent inside made of a blanket and two chairs. He saw the silhouettes of Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy inside the tent.

“So Bendy, what do you think?” Cuphead asked.

“I’m not gonna lie fellas,” Bendy said. “He’s weak and out of shape.”

“No need to be so harsh,” Mugman said.

“But it’s true,” Bendy said.

“He’s right, Mugsy,” Cuphead said.

Inside the tent, the boys were sitting on the floor, a bunch of medical supplies strewn around them and in the middle, there was a pan. In the pan, there was a cookie and a sickly earthworm.

“I know you love him, but what other option is there?” Cuphead asked Mugman. “I mean, look at him.”

The worm twitched weakly.

Mugman’s eyes started to water with tears.

“He used to be so full of life, but now...” the mug said. “You’re right, fellas. We need to put him out of his misery.”

Kettle gasped and he started to sweat.

“We should do it sooner rather than later,” Cuphead said.

“He’s not gonna suffer, is he?” Mugman asked.

“Don’t worry, I know how to make it quick and painless,” Bendy said.

Kettle gasped again. He was so stunned by what he heard that he barely noticed the ladder was falling backward until his head hit the ground with a thud.

Kettle, looking dirty and scuffed, was in his bed groaning. Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy were standing by his bed.

“Poor Elder Kettle,” Mugman said.

“What the heck was he doing up that ladder anyway?” Bendy wondered.

“Maybe fixing the roof?” Cuphead said.

“Is that safe for him?” Bendy asked. “At his age,”

“Elder Kettle may be old, but he never slows down. He’s so full of life!” Cuphead said proudly.

“Not like this poor little guy,” Mugman said as he held up the worm.

Bendy tapped the worm with his finger and squeezed it gently with one finger curled around it. He closed his eyes and shook his head sadly. Cuphead and Mugman closed their eyes sadly. Mugman closed his hands around the worm while Bendy wrapped an arm over his and Cuphead’s shoulders.

“C’mon, let’s go take care of this,” Bendy said.

The boys walked out of the room.

Kettle groaned and woke up in a daze.

“What are we gonna do with his body?” Cuphead asked.

With another gasp, Kettle laid back on his bed. He could see their shadows from the hallway.

“Well, there’s a variety of things we could do,” Bendy said. “We could bury him out at sea. We could cut up the body and bury the pieces in the backyard. And or we could just burn the body.”

Kettle sweated and imagined all these things being done to him. He squealed with fright.

“I kinda like the burning idea,” Cuphead said.

“Couldn’t we just bury him in the backyard?” Mugman asked.

“Sure Mugsy, at least that way, we’ll always be with us,” Cuphead said.

“If that’s what you guys want then fine,” Bendy said. “I’ll just need to grab a few things, you two get the shovels and start digging,”

“Okay,” Mugman said.

The boys left and Kettle pounded his fists against the comforter.

“They’re gonna kill me!” Kettle yelled, “Oh where did things go so wrong?!”

He saw a picture of Cuphead and Mugman on his nightstand. He frowned and slammed the picture down.

“Traitors.” He said angrily. “Get it together, Kettle. They’re just three little boys. You’re a decorated war hero!”

He marched out of his room and found his army stuff. He put on his helmet, and his army shirt, pinned a medal on his chest, and grabbed his sword. He looked out the window and saw Cuphead and Mugman digging a hole.

“Keep digging, boys,” Kettle said ominously. “Better make that hole big enough for three.”

“Phew! That oughta do it.” Cuphead said wiping his brow.

“Okay,” Bendy said. “I couldn’t find a robe, but I found this neat cape and also this,” He opened a heavy book.

“Is that the instruction manual for our fridge?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, I can’t hold that other book,” Bendy said before he wrapped the cape over his shoulders and cleared his throat. “Dearly departed, we are gathered here today to say goodbye to Cuphead and Mugman’s beloved pet earthworm. His life has ended but he will not be forgotten... for at least a few hours,”

Mugman gingerly placed the worm in the hole.

“Now’s the time to say a few words,” Bendy asked.

“Sure,” Cuphead said. “Shoelace, mailbox, slingshot, octopus, bagel, lipstick...”

“Can we just bury the earthworm already?” Mugman said.

The cups shoveled up some dirt and dropped it over the worm’s body.

“And now a moment of silence to honor his passing,” Bendy said.

The boys bowed their heads in silence.

Suddenly, there came a squeaking noise coming from the dirt. The boys opened their eyes and saw the earthworm poke his head out of the dirt.

“Ah! Nothing like the taste of fresh soil.” Earthworm said.

The boys gasped.

“He’s alive!” Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy said together.

“Thanks for not cremating me, Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy. I really appreciate that.” Earthworm said. “So long, fellas!” he saluted before he dived back into the dirt.

“It’s a miracle!” Cuphead and Mugman said excitedly.

“Does this mean the reception is canceled? Cause I’m getting kinda hungry,” Bendy said.

“We can get you a snack, Bendy,” Cuphead said.

“Let’s go to the kitchen,” Mugman said. “And when Elder Kettle wakes up, we can tell him the good news!”

The boys laughed merrily as they walked into the cottage but before they could step in through the door, Mugman stopped the rest from getting in.

“Wait!” Mugman yelled.

“Hey, what gives?” Cuphead asked.

“You almost tripped on something,” Mugman said.

“Piano wire?” Cuphead said as he strummed the wire tied across the floor.

“And is that... a tiger trap in the living room?” Mugman asked.

“And look! The stairs are all greased up,” Bendy said.

“This whole room is booby-trapped,” Mugman said.

Indeed, there were booby traps all around the living room. There were mouse traps, bear traps, landmines, trenches, and tiger traps on the floor. The piano and an anvil were hanging on the ceiling with ropes and loaded crossbows were tied on the walls.

“What is all this?” Mugman asked.

“Like what you see, boys?” came an eerie voice.

The boys looked up and saw Elder Kettle at the top of the stairs. Half of his face was hidden in the shadows.

“Is that you?” Cuphead asked.

“Elder Kettle?” Mugman asked.

“That’s right!” Kettle said as he stepped out of the shadows. “And guess what? You’ll never take me ali–” He started to slip on the greasy stairs and tripped. He bumped against the wall, fell off the stairs, and landed on a coffee table.

“Ooh!” Said Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy.

Kettle groaned as he got back on his feet. “I’m okay.” He said wearily. “Still got the upper hand.” He stumbled backward and tripped over a wire. “Uh-oh.” A crossbow on the wall shot three arrows and the arrows hit Kettle. “Ow! Oh, boy! That really smarts!” He accidentally stepped on a bear trap which snapped over his leg. “Ow! My leg!” he then stepped on another trap. “My other leg!” he screamed.

Cuphead and Mugman watched in horror and then closed their eyes every time Kettle cried out in pain but Bendy watched in fascination.

BOOM BOOM BOOM

Kettle screamed as he was tossed around by the exploding land mines.

Bendy’s eyes light up with wonder. “It’s like a ballet of pain,” he whispered.

The kettle landed on the ground and grunted as he tried to get back up. “I’m still okay.” He said warily. Suddenly the piano dropped right on top of him.

“Elder Kettle! Elder Kettle!” Cuphead and Mugman cried out as they ran to Kettle.

Bendy pushed the piano off the kettle.

Elder Kettle lifted his head and looked at the boys.

“Please! Please don’t kill me.” Kettle pleaded.

The boys glanced at each other in confusion.

“What are you talking about?” Cuphead asked.

“I heard what you all said,” Kettle answered. “I’m dirty and old and weak, and you’re gonna put me out of my misery, burn me, and bury my ashes in the backyard!” he started crying.

“What?!” the three boys said.

“No!” Mugman said. “We weren’t talking about you.”

“We were taking care of our pet worm,” Cuphead said.

Kettle spluttered. “A worm?!” he yelled. “So, you weren’t trying to kill me?”

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy helped Kettle get back on his feet.

“Kill you? You’re our Elder Kettle.” Cuphead said.

“We love you,” Mugman said.

The cup brothers hugged the kettle.

Kettle blushed and smiled. “Aw! I love you, boys, too.” He said. He grabbed the boys and hugged them tightly.

Kettle noticed Bendy was standing on the sides and held his hand out to the kitten. Bendy accepted what he thought was a handshake, but Kettle pulled him in to join the hug. The kettle let the boys go after a few seconds.

“I feel so silly now,” Kettle said. He walked backward as he talked. “To imagine that I thought that you three were gonna kill—” he took too many steps back and fell into the tiger trap with a thud. He groaned after he landed.

The boys looked into the trap and cringed.

“Yikes,” Mugman said. “He’s not looking so hot.”

“I guess we could bury him in the backyard,” Cuphead said.

“Cremation anyone?” Bendy suggested.

“I’ll get the shovels, Cuphead, you look for the matches,” Mugman said.

Chapter Text

Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman were in the kitchen of the Kettle Cottage looking for the jar of cookies Kettle often hides from them.

“It’s not under the sink,” Cuphead said.

“He moved it again,” Mugman said.

The three boys searched around the kitchen and living room, but they simply couldn’t find it. Then, they opened the door to Kettle’s room. Inside, the kettle was fast asleep, snoring and mumbling. They peeked inside and...

“Bingo!” Cuphead said as he pointed towards the shelf over Kettle’s bed.

“Aw, jeez,” Mugman said.

“Pff. This is nothin’,” Bendy said. He took off his gloves and bowtie. “Hold these for me,” he handed them to Cuphead. His body then melted down into a black mass and it slithered into the room.

Cuphead was beaming while Mugman cringed.

The mass crawled up the wall over to the shelf and grabbed the jar. It glided off the wall and onto the nightstand. Bendy morphed back to his smiling self, and the brothers smiled back. Bendy took a step-

CRACK

That terrible cracking sound came from under the little devil’s foot. He lifted it slowly and saw Kettle’s now broken glasses under his shoe. The boys left the cookie jar behind and took the glasses to the living room.

“Maybe he won’t notice?” Bendy said.

“Oh, he’ll notice,” Mugman said.

“We gotta get these fixed before Elder Kettle wakes up,” Cuphead said.

Suddenly, they heard a yawn and groan come from Kettle’s room. The boys gasped, scrambled around, and ran in different directions.

“Boys, have you seen my glasses?” Kettle said before he hit a wall. He walked around blindly trying to navigate around. “No, no, Kettle. You lost ‘em somewhere. Just like you...” he hit another wall and shouted. “...always do. Oh! There you are.” He said looking at Cuphead and Mugman sitting on the couch. “Okay, boys. Listen. Stay put. I’ll find ‘em. Last thing I need is you two stepping on ‘em. Got it?”

What he failed to notice was that the Cuphead and Mugman he was looking at were just two buckets with painted faces stacked on two bags of flour.

“Wow. You’re actually listening for once.” Kettle said with a tear in his eye. “Thank you, boys.” He walked into the wall again.

A While Later...

The boys made it all the way to the city and went straight to the glasses store. Bendy was in his kitten disguise.

“Let me get this straight.” Said the clerk at the glasses store. She was a screwdriver. “You mean to tell me you three couldn’t get a cookie jar from a sleeping old man?” she held up Kettle’s broken glasses.

Cuphead and Mugman were at the counter while Bendy was looking at the sunglasses.

“Look, lady, can you fix ‘em or not?” Cuphead said annoyed.

“Of course. But I don’t like your tone. Hmph!” The clerk said before she turned her back to the boys and inspected the glasses under a large magnifying glass. 

Cuphead blew a raspberry at the clerk.

The sound of muffled music played outside.

“Kindly turn that down.” The clerk said. “I hate music!”

“We’re not playing music.” All three boys said.

The doors to the store swung open and the music got louder as a girl danced into the store. She had a yellow chalice for a head and an orange-striped straw. She was wearing a black long-sleeved top, a teal skirt, and orange heels. She danced around and started singing.

“When you’re blue and feeling down,

You gotta spread that sunshine all around,

You gotta turn that frown, upside down,

And sail across a rainbow!~”

The girl tap-danced on the countertop which somehow made the grumpy clerk smile. The girl winked, smiled, and drummed on Cuphead and Mugman’s brims. She pointed at a pair of sunglasses and the clerk handed them over to her.

“When the world is saying “no”,

Don’t waste your time, feelin’ low.

Click your heels, go, go, go, and dance across a rainbow!~”

With those final lyrics, the chalice girl danced out of the store with the sunglasses. The clerk hummed and danced while the three boys stared at the doors, stunned.

“What the heck was that?!” Cuphead asked.

The boys opened the door and looked around trying to find that chalice girl.

“Hey! Get back here!” Suddenly a honeybee officer came running past the store. He skidded to a stop when he saw a hunched figure wearing a blanket. “You seen a chalice run past here?” he asked.

The hunched person turned around. They had dark glasses on and were holding an old cup.

“I didn’t. I can’t see at all,” said the blind beggar.

“Oops. Uh, sorry.” The officer apologized. He dropped a coin into the cup with a nervous chuckle. He ran away feeling embarrassed.

As soon as he was gone, the blind beggar threw off the blanket and dark glasses on a manikin. It was that chalice girl! She took the coin and bought a gumball from the machine. She smiled mischievously as she tickled the machine, making it giggle and spill out more gumballs.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy watched the girl from behind a mailbox.

They saw the chalice dance for a hot dog vendor worker, and he gave her free hot dogs. She then gave the hot dogs to people in line for the movie theatres and they let her cut to the front.

“Tickets.” Said the hippo working as a cinema attendant. The chalice girl offered him a hot dog. “That’s not a ticket.” The hippo said.

The chalice used mustard to paint a happy face on the hot dog. 

“How about now?” The hot dog asked.

The hippo gasped with delight and ate the hot dog before letting the chalice girl tap dance her way into the cinema. 

The boys got into the theater and sat in the back row watching the chalice girl watch the movie.

“How does she get people to just give her stuff?” Mugman said.

“She could definitely help us get Elder Kettle’s cookies,” Cuphead said.

“What are we supposed to do? Ask her if she’ll dance for Kettle until he gives her the cookie jar?” Bendy asked.

The people around the boys shushed at them.

“Sorry,” Mugman said.

Bendy grabbed the cups with their handles and pulled them out of the theater.

“What are you doing? We need to get to that girl,” Cuphead said.

“Don’t worry, she’ll be heading our way,” Bendy said. He pulled out a small ball from his back pocket. He pulled the fuse string off and threw the ball into the theater.

“What was that?” Mugman asked.

“Against the wall, hurry!” Bendy said.

The cup boys followed his order before a muffled boom came from the theater. The people inside screamed and Cuphead and Mugman covered their noses when they noticed the stench.

“Ek!” Mugman said.

“What is that?” Cuphead asked.

“Ink bomb,” Bendy said proudly. “Little project I’ve been working on,”

The crowd ran out of the theater coughing, ink splattered everywhere, but the girl wasn’t with them.

“Hey, where’d she go?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy peeked inside. “She went out the side exit! C’mon,” he said.

They go to the emergency exit but just as Cuphead and Mugman stepped out, the door closed on Bendy.

“What the!?” the kitten shouted. He tried to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

Cuphead tried to open the door too, but it was locked.

“Bendy!” Cuphead yelled.

“Strange that the door just shut like that,” Mugman said.

Suddenly, someone grabbed the brothers by their shirts, picked them up, and pinned them against the brick wall.

“All right, who are you two working for?” the chalice girl questioned.

“Working? We don’t have jobs.” Cuphead said.

“Yeah. We’re just a couple of dum-dums.” Mugman said.

“Zip it, ding-dong,” Cuphead said. “She don’t gotta know we’re dum-dums.”

“Why are you following me? Spill the beans or you’ll be spilling milk!” the girl said.

A gloved hand tapped the chalice’s shoulder.

“May I cut in?” Bendy asked sweetly.

Before the chalice could reply, Bendy grabbed her by the top and pulled her back, making her let go of the cups. He dipped her before he spun her in a fast pirouette. Random stuff flew out of her pockets. Cash, wallets, toys, candy, etc.

“Stop!” she yelled.

“Bendy, stop it!” Mugman said.

The kitten waited a few seconds before he stopped spinning the chalice girl. She stumbled a bit before she shook away the dizziness and glared at Bendy.

“What’s your problem?” the girl asked, annoyed.

“Wouldn’t you like to know, toots!” Bendy said.

“We don’t want any trouble,” Cuphead said after he stepped between Bendy and the girl. “We just wanna learn how you get so much free stuff.”

“That’s all, Ms...” Mugman said.

“The name’s Chalice. Ms. Chalice.” She said before she walked away. “But listen you don’t wanna get mixed up with a gal like me. This chalice is nothing but trouble.”

“We love trouble!” Cuphead said.

“We do?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah. Why, just this morning, we decided to steal cookies from our elderly caretaker.” Cuphead said.

“When you put it like that, I suppose we do love trouble,” Mugman said.

“We get into all kinds of trouble,” Bendy said.

“Hmmm, did you guys release that ink bomb in the movies?” Chalice asked.

“Yup,” the boys said.

The girl laughed and rolled her eyes. “Oh, brother,” Chalice said. “Looks like I got a couple of real degenerates on my hands.”

“Yup. Degenerates.” Cuphead said.

“We didn’t actually get the cookies,” Mugman said.

“Hey!” Cuphead and Bendy yelled.

“What? We need her help. We might as well be honest.”

“We don’t need her help,” Bendy said. “I stole those cookies right off the shelf, but you said I had to put them back.”

“But with Chalice’s way we won’t need to steal them,” Mugman said.

“But that’s exactly what she’s doin’!” Bendy said. “The only difference is the added song and dance.” 

“It’s not just singing and dancing, you know,” Chalice said. “There’s more to it than that.”

“Yeah...?” The boys said.

“Listen, boys, one thing you gotta know about me,” the chalice girl said. “I get by without partners, friends, anyone, or anything. This is a solo act. A one-person show.”

“Aw!” The brothers said sadly.

“Oh well, worth a shot. So long, Chalice,” Bendy said before he pulled Cuphead and Mugman with their handles and walked away.

“But...” Chalice said. The kitten stopped in his tracks. “Your pathetic story charms me. Wanna know how I do what I do?”

“Yeah!” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“You really wanna know?” Chalice asked.

Cuphead and Mugman nodded enthusiastically. Bendy, arms crossed, shrugged. 

“Okay, then. Pay attention.”

Chalice started singing and dancing with some upbeat jazzy music playing.

“You gotta slap on a smile,

Throw in some pep!

And be sure to put a spring in your step,

‘Cause you can get anything by turning up the charm.~”

She takes a flower from a bouquet.

“You gotta kick up your heels,

Hands in the sky,

And don’t forget the little glint in your eye,

‘Cause you can get what you want if you follow this simple rule!~”

Chalice charmed a rat taxi driver into letting her take the car. She and the boys hopped in, and she took the wheel. She continued to sing as she drove.

“And if you’re charming enough, they’ll give you free stuff,

And they’ll all do what you say.

And since no one’s the wiser,

You can have it your way.~”

Chalice grabbed four ice cream cones from the elephants as she drove, and the kids ate them up. Cuphead has chocolate, Mugman has strawberry, Bendy has pistachio, and Chalice has vanilla.

“With the wink of an eye,

And with the flick of a wrist,

Hey, I think you’re really gettin’ the gist!

‘Bout how I charm the pants of this here town!~”

Traffic stopped the taxi gab but not Chalice. She climbed to the hood of the car and started tap dancing. She pulled the boys up and they all started dancing together, even Bendy was smiling. They tap-danced onto other cars along the street.

“I think you’re getting the hang of this,

But here’s one final tip:

Before they can get wise to you,

Give ‘em the slip!~”

They jumped out of the car and onto a parade float. Chalice was given a dancer’s tiara while she and the boys danced on the float.

“Gotta slap on a smile,

Throw in some pep,

So please remember to never forget,

You can get anything by turning up the charm!~”

Chalice lit a match and ignited some fireworks on the float. They all sang the last verse together.

“You can get anything by turning up the charm!~”

The fireworks shot up in the air and a winking Chalice’s face exploded in the sky as the crowd cheered.

That Evening...

The kids were lying on a grassy hill overlooking the city.

“The Butcher Gang?” Chalice said. “You mean to tell me you three managed to beat three grown criminals?”

“You bet’cha,” Cuphead said.

“Twice!” Bendy added.

Chalice chuckled. “Right,” she said with an eye roll. “I gotta admit somethin’. I don’t usually stick around in one place this long. But you three are kinda fun.” She sat up. “So, fellas, ready for the test?” she asked.

“Test!?!” The boys said.

“Come on. You guys are naturals! It’s gonna be a breeze.” She walked away and the boys followed her. “All you gotta do is charm your way past that guy.” She pulled back some leaves to reveal a bear security guard standing in front of a door to a large building.

“Now, who wants to go first?” Chalice said.

The boys were quiet.

“It’s not gonna work,” Bendy said, breaking the silence.

“Excuse me?” Chalice asked.

“Look, the whole charm thing was good and all but c’mon, you can’t charm that guy.” Bendy pulled out some ink bombs. “These will get him away from the door though.”

“Aw c’mon kitty cat, just give it a try,” Chalice said. “Or are you too big of a scaredy cat,”

Cuphead and Mugman slashed their hands across their throats as Bendy glared at Chalice. He pocketed away the bombs.

“Fine!” Bendy said. “I’ll prove this is all malarkey.”

“Great. Manage to get inside and there’s a surprise.”

“Surprise? We love surprises!” Cuphead and Mugman said.

Bendy walked down the hill.

The guard suddenly heard snapping fingers and turned his head.

The kitten smiled and started to tap dance to upbeat jazzy music. He snapped his finger and winked at the guard.

The guard smiled back and tapped his foot along with it.

Up the street, Edgar, the big spider member of The Butcher Gang, was carrying bags of food when he heard the tapping. He turned his head and gasped when he spotted the dancing cat. Edgar dropped his bags and ran away quickly.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice walked up behind Bendy as the guard opened the door. The boys go in first followed by the chalice girl who winked at the guard before he closed the door. The boys were now standing in a dark factory.

“You did it, Bendy!” Cuphead said.

“Huh, I guess it does work,” Bendy said pleasantly surprised.

“Great job, Bendy,” Chalice said. She was up on a railing. “Now here’s a surprise for all of you!” She flipped a few switches and overhead lights turned on.

A machine buzzed and a conveyor belt started moving. There are barrels labeled FLOUR and bags of CHOCOLATE CHIPS.

“Is this a...?” Mugman said in awe.

Outside, the words “Cookie’s Cookies” lit up in bright neon lights.

“Cookie factory!” The boys exclaimed in excitement.

“That’s right,” Chalice said as she pushed buttons and flipped some more switches. “And it’s all-you-can-eat.” She unknowingly turned on the silent alarm.

As cookies came out of the machine onto the conveyor belt, the boys took some cookies and started eating.

“So, Bendy what do you think about the whole charming thing now?” Chalice asked slyly.

“Okay, okay, I guess your charm thing actually works,” Bendy admitted with a smile before he ate another cookie.

“Darn right, it does,” the chalice said.

“Mmmm, I need something to drink,” Bendy said. “I’ll be right back,”

“Where are you going?” Chalice asked.

“To find the break room, there’s gotta be something to drink around here,” Bendy walked away. “Keep an eye on ‘em for me,” He found a door and slipped under it after making sure Chalice wasn’t looking. 

Chalice was eating a cookie, sitting on the machine while watching Cuphead and Mugman eat more cookies.

“Gee, what a couple of ding-dongs,” Chalice said. Suddenly, the sound of a siren was wailing outside. She saw flashing red and blue lights from the windows. “Cheese it, boys! It’s the cops!” she yelled.

“Cops?!” Cuphead and Mugman said with cookies stuffed in their mouths. They panicked and ran into each other, knocking themselves out.

“This is the police!” came a voice outside, “We have you surrounded!”

Chalice gasped. She saw the shadows of the police officers just before they started banging on the door.

“Bendy! Bendy, where are you!?” Chalice cried out. “Bendy!”

There was no reply.

“Come on! Get up! We gotta scram!” the chalice tried to wake the brothers up, but they were unconscious.

The banging grew louder, and the girl started sweating.

“Sorry, boys. I like ya, but not enough to tangle with the cops.” Chalice walked up to a wall. “So long, fellas.” The girl transformed into a ghost and phased through the wall.

The moment Chalice disappeared, Cuphead and Mugman woke up.

“My mug.” Mugman groaned.

“Oh, what happened?” Cuphead asked. “Where’s Bendy and Chalice?”

Three bee police officers broke down the door.

“You’re under arrest!” said one of the officers.

Both Cuphead and Mugman screamed before they jumped up and started to dance. They tried to charm the cops, but the bees just frowned. As soon as they finished, the police grabbed the brothers and cuffed them.

Hours later, Cuphead and Mugman were thrown in a prison cell wearing striped prison uniforms. They looked at each other worriedly as their cell door closed.

Chapter Text

It was a hot September day at The Slammer. The heat was tense as was the atmosphere in the yard. Prisoners were lifting weights and tried to look tough but cowered at the sight of bigger prisoners. A harmonica prisoner was playing a sad tune and, in the cell next door, were Cuphead and Mugman. They looked miserable in their prison wear and five o’clock shadows.

Mugman crossed out numbers on the wall with chalk.

“We were tricked into breaking into that cookie factory!” Mugman said. “This is what we get for listening to that Miss Chalice!” he threw the chalk stick into Cuphead’s milk.

Cuphead glared at Mugman and spat out the chalk stick.

“I don’t wanna hear another word about Chalice or cookies ever again!” Cuphead yelled.

“I told you we shouldn’t have hung out with her.”

“No, you didn’t!”

“I didn’t? Well, that sounds like something I should’ve said.”

“Yeah! Aren’t you supposed to be the cautious one?”

“Oh! So now it’s my fault we’re in prison?”

“Pretty much,” Cuphead said as he started pacing around the room. “All I know is, we gotta get outta here. I’M GOING NUTS!”

“And so much for Bendy’s help,” Mugman said. “We’ve been here for days, and we haven’t heard a word from him.”

HISS

Suddenly, they heard a hissing sound. The brothers turned their heads toward the window and saw what looked like a black snake slithering through the barred window. They shrieked as it dropped onto the floor before it transformed into Bendy Devil.

“What’s the word, jailbirds?” Bendy said.

“Bendy!” Cuphead said happily.

Mugman jumped in between them. “What happened to you?” he questioned the little devil. “We were arrested, and you just disappeared!”

“I-... Why didn’t Chalice help you guys?” Bendy asked.

“She disappeared too,” Cuphead said. “We don’t want to talk about her. But what happened to you?”

“Why haven’t we heard from you?” Mugman asked.

“I kinda got caught too. But not by the cops,” Bendy said before he began to explain.

FLASHBACK

Bendy walked past Cuphead and Mugman who were devouring cookies.

“Keep an eye on ‘em for me,” He found a door and slipped under it after making sure Chalice wasn’t looking.

His mass form slid under each door until he found the associate’s lounge.

“Bingo,” Bendy whispered before turning back into his little devil form. He found the fridge, opened it, and found a carton of milk. He opened it and jugged it down. As he leaned his head back, he opened his eyes slightly and saw the pipe before it hit him.

WACK

Bendy felt a sharp pain against his head and it knocked him out.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar stuffed the unconscious Bendy into a sack and ran out of the factory just as the cops showed up. They threw the bag into the back of the laundry services truck and drove away. The men laughed, thinking they’d escaped the police, and have captured the little devil again.

Bendy woke up in a daze. He heard the laughter, got mad, and pulled out four ink bombs.

“We did it!” Charley yelled. “Now, let’s get rid of this creep.”

A muffled booming sound came from the bag and a foul odor soon filled the air.

“What is that smell?” Charley asked. “Edgar?”

“Don’t look at me it came from the bag,” Edgar said.

“Uh, maties’,” Barley said. “The bag be leaking,”

They turned their heads and saw the bag turned black and ink leaking out.

“Eek! What is that stuff?” Charley asked. He turned his eyes back on the road just as the bag started expanding.

Edgar watched in silent horror and curiosity as the bag ripped at the seams and a large, black, spiky, hunchback mass started growling.

“Cha-Cha-Charley...” Edgar stuttered.

From outside the truck, passersby suddenly heard screaming, and the truck swerved on the road past them. The truck made a sharp turn until it flipped over and over until it crashed on a light post. Something from inside the truck started banging against it until a black monstrous hand punched a hole.

A demon crawled out of the hole. It had black oily skin, long curved horns, long limbs, a thin almost skeletal body, spikes on its back, and large teeth. Police sirens could be heard, and the demon covered its ears as if in pain. It jumped off the truck, lifted a manhole cover, and jumped into the sewers. It fell into the water and floated away. As it floated, the demon shrunk down back into Bendy. He scrambled out of the water and lay on the floor.

END OF FLASHBACK

“After that, I passed out and didn’t wake up till morning. I barely managed to get home without my dad noticing how hurt I was.” Bendy continued. “By the time I felt better, I found out you two got arrested and Kettle is still looking for his glasses!”

Back at Kettle Cottage...

“Boys?” Kettle said before he crashed into the clock. He was walking around blindly, and the house was a mess. “I still can’t find my glasses.” He tripped. “I’ve looked everywhere. Oh, I give up. Help me boys!” he shook the fake boys on the couch and screamed after they fell apart in front of him.

At The Prison...

“At least you got away from The Butcher Gang,” Mugman said.

“I did but you two won’t be able to soon,” Bendy said.

The brothers were about to ask what Bendy meant before the lunch bell rang, and they were moved to the cafeteria. Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy were sitting in the cafeteria with food trays full of food. Bendy bit a carrot before he noticed Cuphead was looking at him.

“What?” Bendy asked.

“You’re not wearing your cat disguise,” Cuphead said.

“Oh, I don’t care if these guys see me as a devil,” Bendy said nonchalantly. He noticed a prisoner glaring at him, he growled, and the prisoner flinched. Bendy turned his attention back to the cup. “Why? Don’t you like how I really look?” he teased with a smile.

“Well- I...” Cuphead stuttered. “Honestly... yeah— I mean no! I mean...”

Bendy’s eyes widened slightly.

“I think you look better without that fake nose,” Cuphead said smiling. “You look... good. Being yourself.”

Bendy was taken aback but then he gave a small smile. “Thanks,” he said.

“Do you two weridos mind?” Said the prisoner next to them. “Some of us are trying to eat,”

The little devil glared at the prisoner for a second before he punched him in the face. The prisoner bumped next to the giant angry cyclops making her drop her food. She grabbed the prisoner and started beating him up.

Bendy hollered. “Fight!” he shouted. Soon a riot broke out and Bendy couldn’t resist jumping into it. Soon he was punching, kicking, scratching, and biting other prisoners.

“My nose! He’s got my nose!” said one of Bendy’s victims.

Cuphead and Mugman backed away.

“I’m scared, Cuphead!” Mugman whined. He grabbed his brother’s shirt and shook him. “I wanna go home! I’m too soft for prison!”

“Don’t worry,” Cuphead whispered. “We’re busting outta here. Tonight, at midnight, as the crow flies.”

“What does that mean?” Mugman asked.

“I don’t know,” Cuphead replied.

That night at midnight, Cuphead and Mugman used filers to break the bars on the window and bed sheets to shimmy down. Once they reached the ground outside a searchlight shined on them and they screamed as they were chased down by guard dogs.

In the morning they were taken to the warden. An elder-looking bee wearing blue pants, a white shirt, and a tie.

“You boys just bought yourselves a day of breaking rocks!” Bee Warden said.

As the two cups broke rocks in the yard, Bendy was scaring some of the other prisoners.

Later that day, Cuphead and Mugman tried to escape through the air vents. They gasped as they made it outside... in the yard, with the guard dogs. The boys screamed and ran from the dogs. They were taken to the warden again the next morning.

“You boys just bought yourselves a night in the box!” Bee Warden said.

Cuphead and Mugman were locked in a small metal box outside while Bendy spoke to Miss Cyclops.

“So, you got a name?” Bendy asked her.

The cyclops growled at the little devil.

“Oooh, what a lovely growl you have,” Bendy said.

The next day, Cuphead and Mugman dug a tunnel out of the prison, and they came up in the guard dogs' doghouse. The dogs growled before barking and chasing the brothers around. The brothers were taken to the warden again the next morning.

“You boys just bought yourselves a night in the box, breaking rocks!” Bee Warden said.

They are then locked in a small metal box with a hammer and a rock.

“We almost had it!” Cuphead said. “Next time, all we need is a little... DYNAMITE!”

Mugman started sobbing.

“What? You don’t like dynamite?” Cuphead asked.

The next night, Cuphead and Mugman were back in their cell. Cuphead rolled out a makeshift map of the penitentiary.

“What we need is a more elaborate plan,” the cup said. “Something way more complicated.”

“No, Cuphead,” Mugman said while lying on his bunk. “What we need is to give up.”

“Mugsy!” Cuphead gasped. “What are you saying?”

“Being on the inside changes a mug. None of your plans work and it’s pretty obvious Bendy isn’t gonna help us.”

Cuphead and Mugman looked down the hall. They couldn’t see him, but they could hear Bendy’s voice from one of the other cells.

“So, how many heads have you crushed?” Bendy asked.

The cyclops growled.

“Neat!” he said.

Cuphead and Mugman sighed, and the mug crawled back on his bunk.

“The only way we’re getting outta here is to make the best of it and serve our time,” Mugman said.

“No! The only way we’re getting outta here is to bust out!” Cuphead argued.

“Well, I’m not doing it that way!”

“Well, I am doing it that way!”

“Oh? You’re doing it that way? Well, good for you!”

“Hey!” A bee cop yelled. “Quiet down in there!”

“Good for me? Great for me!” Cuphead shouted softly.

“I’m happy for you!” Mugman shouted softly.

“I’m happy you’re happy for me!”

“Good!”

“Great!”

The next morning Cuphead plotted his escape while Mugman made license plates. Cuphead stole a spoon while Mugman played Jack’s with some of the prisoners. Cuphead stuffed mashed potatoes into his shoe while Mugman started macrame.

That night, Mugman pushed a laundry hamper to some prison cells.

“Howdy, Harry Hatchet-Face!” Mugman greeted. “I patched up the holes on your favorite socks!”

“Wow! Good as new!” Harry Hatchet-Face said before he took the socks. “Thanks, Mugsy!”

Mugman walked to the next cell. The prisoner was a bull with a hook for his left hand.

“Morning, Lefty!” Mugman greeted. “Got that blood outta your jumpsuit!”

“Thanks! You’re the best, Mugsy!” Lefty said before taking his jumpsuit.

Mugman gulped as he walked to the next cell. “Here’s your blanket, Miss Cyclops.” He shook as he pulled out a pink blanket.

Miss Cyclops took the blanket and placed it on her left knee. Bendy was sitting on her right knee until he slid down her leg and stood by the bars.

“Hey Mugman,” Bendy said.

“So, this is where you’ve been hiding,” Mugman said. “Why do you hang out with her anyway?” he whispered.

“When you’re in prison you make alliances with the biggest, toughest inmate,” Bendy whispered. “My dad taught me that,”

“I imagine so. Except you seem to have forgotten about another alliance of yours,”

“I haven’t forgotten about you guys.”

“Well, that’s what it feels like!” Mugman looked up at the Cyclops. “Have a good night, Miss Cyclops,” he walked away without looking at the little devil.

Bendy stood there for a moment before he slipped through the bars.

The Cyclops grunted.

“I gotta go,” Bendy said. “I’ll be back later, I promise,” he melted down and slipped away.

Miss Cyclops watched him until he disappeared.

Cuphead was reading his map and muttering to himself.

“Oh, still here, are you?” Mugman asked.

“Not for long. I got it all figured out.” Cuphead said before showing off his map.

Mugman scoffed, rolled his eyes, and climbed into his bunk. 

“We can escape together,” Cuphead said. He stuffed the map into his pocket.

Mugman laid back on his bunk. “For the last time, Cuphead, I’m making the best of it,” he said.

“You sure? ‘Cause I’m busting out of this joint.”

“Then go ahead and go.”

“Fine! I will!”

“Pipe down in there!” A bee guard shouted. “Lights out!”

The lights in the cell were turned off.

“So go then, good for you,” Mugman shouted softly. 

“Great for me,” Cuphead shouted softly.

“I’m very happy for you.”

“I can still hear you!” The bee guard said.

“I’m happy you’re happy for me,” Cuphead argued in a whispering voice.

“Great,” Mugman said in a whispering voice.

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Good.”

“Great.”

“Great.”

They turned their backs to each other in a humph. Cuphead took Mugman’s macrame from the wall, revealing a large dug-out hole.

“Last chance,” Cuphead whispered.

“I’ve got everything I need right here,” Mugman whispered firmly.

“Bye, I guess,” Cuphead whispered before crawling into the hole in the wall.

As soon as he was gone, Mugman started crying into his pillow.

Meanwhile...

Bendy snuck around until he found the warden’s office. After making sure the room was empty, the little devil went through the desk until he found the scheduling book. He flipped through the pages and found something that made his eyes widen.

“Oh crud,” Bendy whispered.

CLICK

The door opened and Bendy melted down into a puddle just as Bee Warden walked in.

“Keys, keys, keys,” Warden muttered.

The large bee opened a drawer and grabbed a pair of keys.

“There you are,” he said and grabbed the keys. He then noticed the open book on his desk. “Hmph, I thought I put this away.” The warden reached for the book.

Suddenly a small black droplet fell on his white glove. Followed by another and another. The old bee looked up and saw a big black stain on the ceiling.

“What the...?” Bee Warden said in slight disgust.

Two yellow eyes blinked open from the mass and the bee gasped. Suddenly the mass fell on top of him, and everything went black.

Meanwhile...

Cuphead dug out a tunnel with a metal spoon until it snapped in half. He grumbled before using his head to dig the rest of the way out. His brim soon hit a pipe, and he smiled. He used mashed potato, a fuse, and two flints to blow up the pipe, and water flooded out of the pipe. Once the water stopped, Cuphead climbed into the pipe and shimmied up. Once he found the drain, he opened it with hair pins and stuck his head out.

“Freedom!” Cuphead shouted.

But instead of the outside, he wound up in the room with the electric chair. A bee guard grabbed Cuphead and strapped him to the chair.

“Uh-oh,” Cuphead said before the guard put the helmet on him and flipped the switch.

Electricity buzzed and the lights from the prison flashed on and off. A few minutes later, Cuphead was thrown back into his cell by a bee guard. He was sizzling from the electricity.

“Oh, look who’s back,” Mugman said.

“I didn’t make it,” Cuphead said. He climbed into his bunk and groaned.

Suddenly the cell door opened, and Bee Warden walked in followed by a bee guard, looking stern. Mugman hopped on his feet.

“Leave me with the boys, Frank,” The warden said.

“Yes sir,” said the guard before walking away and closing the cell behind him.

“Is something the matter sir?” Mugman said.

“I heard that the cup attempted to escape again tonight,” Bee Warden said. “Well, I got something to say about that.” Suddenly his frown flipped into a smile, and he started tap dancing.

“It’s getting late and while I wait

My poor heart aches on

Why keep the breaks on?

Let’s misbehave!!!

There’s something wild about you child

That’s so contagious.

Let’s be outrageous!

Let’s misbehave!

When Adam won Eve’s hand

He wouldn’t stand for teasin’

He didn’t care about those apples out of season

They say the Spring

Means just one thing to little lovebirds.

We’re not above birds

Let’s misbehave! ~”

Bee Warden sang and finished his dance with jazz hands and confetti.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at the bee with wide eyes and their mouths hung agape.

“Uhh, are you okay sir?” Mugman asked.

“Hey’ya weirdos! It’s me, Bendy,” The warden said.

The brothers looked at the bee skeptically.

Bee Warden removed his left glove, his normal-looking hand was covered with ink, and it transformed into a monstrous demon hand with long fingers and sharp claws.

Mugman gasped. “That hand,” he whispered. “Bendy?” he looked up at the old bee.

“The one and only.” The possessed warden said as he slipped his glove back on. “I’m possessing the warden so I can help you guys escape.”

“Oh, so now you want to help us?” Mugman asked sarcastically.

“That’s what I was doing with Winnie,”

“Who?”

“Miss Cyclops, Winnie,”

“That’s her name? Huh. But how could she have helped us?”

“I figured if you’re gonna stay here you’ll need protection. She’s the scariest inmate here and I’ve been trying to convince her to protect you guys from the others. But now we’ve got a bigger problem. The butcher gang is coming back here in the morning!”

“What!?!” Mugman and Cuphead said at the same time.

“It’s true, I saw it in a schedule book in the warden’s office,” Bendy said. “That night, after they crashed the truck, the police caught them, and they’ve been in the hospital since then.” He smirked for a second. “But they’re being discharged and they’re coming here. You guys need to escape tonight,”

“I’m not going,” Cuphead said.

Bendy and Mugman looked stunned for a second.

“What do you mean you’re not going?” Bendy asked.

“I mean I give up trying to escape,” Cuphead said. “I just-... I give up,”

“But what about The Butcher Gang?” Mugman asked.

“It doesn’t matter to me anymore. I give up caring about any of that stuff,” Cuphead said, “I give up. I give up.” He turned away from his friends and started sobbing softly.

“Cuphead, you can’t give up,” Bendy said.

“I’m sorry guys, but I’m done,” Cuphead said. “Mugsy was right. We should just stay in prison.”

Mugman’s heart broke seeing his brother so sad and broken.

“Cuphead, get up,” Mugman said.

“What? Why?” Cuphead said after he turned his head, tears streaming down his face.

“I can’t stand seeing you like this. So, we’re getting out of here.”

“You mean it?”

“Yeah.”

“But how?”

“Leave that to me,” Bee Warden said before he pulled out a large gym bag.

The possessed warden walked down the hall with the gym bag over his shoulders. He passed by the Cyclops’ cell, who woke up and saw him. The bee’s arm twitched until he held it down with his other hand.

“I’m fine, I’m fine,” Bendy said reassuringly.

Bee Warden walked out of the building, headed to the gate, and stood there. The bag wiggled a bit and unzipped open slightly.

“Bendy? What are you waiting for?” Cuphead asked from inside the bag.

“I gotta wait for the guard to inspect me first,” Bendy answered. His face twitched. “Get out! Get out of me!” he shouted. Bendy slapped a hand over Bee Warden’s mouth.

“What was that about?” Cuphead said.

Bendy took a deep breath. “It’s the warden.” He answered. “He’s trying to fight for control. But I can hold him,”

“Mr. Warden,” came another voice.

Cuphead rezipped the bag as a bee guard came running.

“Good evening, sir,” the bee guard said.

“Uh, yes, good evening,” Bee Warden said.

“Alright, sir, just one quick inspection, and you’re free to go.”

“Great,” Bendy said before he gently put the bag down.

The guard patted down the bee warden and checked off his list.

“Okay, looks like you're good to go, sir. Now just gotta check your bag.” The bee guard slowly unzipped the bag but only got it halfway opened when the smell hit him. “Yuck! Sir, you really need these washed!” the bee zipped the bag back up.

“I really should. Anyway, best be getting back home.” The warden picked up the bag, “See ya in the mornin’,” But before he could walk out the gate, he started coughing violently.

“Are you okay, sir?” the guard asked worriedly.

Bee Warden’s spit turned black as he kept coughing, and he dropped the bag. The old bee pounded his fist into his stomach and spat out a black mass. The mass turned into Bendy and Bee Warden coughed some more.

“What in the world?” Bee Frank wondered. “Warden, sir, are you okay?” he asked.

Bee Warden spoke in a hoarse voice. “No, I am not okay! That thing was controlling me,”

The little devil groaned and rubbed his head as he got back on his feet.

“And he was trying to help these two escape,” Bee Warden unzipped the gym bag and threw the clothes out, revealing Cuphead and Mugman who gasped for air.

“Air!” Mugman gasped.

“Uh-oh,” Cuphead said, noticing the warden and the guard looking down on them.

Suddenly, two large hands grabbed the warden and the guard and hit their heads together, knocking them out. The boys turned their heads and saw the Cyclops standing there with a growl.

“Winnie, what are you doing here?” Bendy asked while the cups shook with fear.

The cyclops grunted and muttered.

“I know I promised that, but I had to help my friends,” Bendy said. “I swear I was gonna come back and say goodbye,”

Winnie muttered.

“Yeah, there’s been a change in plans. I have ta’ leave now,”

The cyclops lowered her hand, Bendy stepped into her palm, and she brought him closer to her face. She whimpered.

“I liked our talks too,” Bendy said as he patted Winnie’s nose. “But you’ll be okay without me, they’re the ones who need protecting. They’re completely helpless on their own,”

“Hey!” Cuphead and Mugman said at the same time. Neither noticed Bee Warden shuffling away.

“Don’t worry, I’ll visit you again soon,” Bendy said.

“Mmm,” Winnie hummed.

Suddenly the sirens blared, and the bells rang. The boys looked around and noticed that Bee Warden was missing.

“He must’ve reached the alarm!” Mugman shouted.

“We’re doom!” Cuphead yelled.

The guard dogs were running towards them, barking, but Winnie wasn’t scared. She took off her shackle and locked it around Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman. She lifted them, spun the ball around, and threw them over the wall.

The boys screamed as they flew overhead.

Winnie sighed fondly before she roared at the dogs.

“Ah heck!” Bee Warden yelled as he watched the boys get away. “I’ll get you kids! You and that cat thing!”

The metal ball landed right into the Kettle Cottage yard. The boys landed with a thud on the grass and the shackle broke apart.

“Freedom!” Cuphead and Mugman yelled excitedly. The brothers kissed the ground. “Ah, home sweet home.”

“I told you guys I’d get you back home,” Bendy said as he stretched.

“No, you didn’t!” Mugman argued.

“Well, I did now and here we are. You’re welcome. Now, I’m going to my home.”

“Already?” Cuphead said.

“Yeah, I can’t let Elder Kettle see me without my disguise.”

“Okay,” Mugman said. “Same time tomorrow?”

“You got it,” Bendy said with a wink before he walked away.

“Bye Bendy,” the brothers said.

“Watch out for the gang this time,” Cuphead said.

Bendy chuckled as he disappeared into the forest.

Suddenly, Elder Kettle opened the door and smiled at Cuphead and Mugman.

“Boys! There you are.” Kettle said, “You just missed your friend. She brought me my glasses. She sang me a song. Oh, she was so charming.”

Cuphead and Mugman gasped. “Chalice!” They seethed.

“Yes. Chalice. That was her name.” Kettle said with a snap of his fingers. “What a delight. Oh, by the way, and you two are GROUNDED FOR LIFE!!!!”

“Yes! Please ground us.” Cuphead said gratefully.

“Never let us leave again,” Mugman added.

Cuphead and Mugman fell to their knees and kissed the kettle’s feet.

Elder Kettle looked really confused by the boys' reactions.

At the Inkwell Infirmary...

A large rabbit nurse pulled a cart to a room guarded by two police bees. They gave her a nod and let her walk in. There were three beds in the room, separated by curtains.

“Okay, boys time for your sleep meds,” The nurse said before she pulled back a curtain. “You’ll need plenty of rest before tommo-”

The three beds were empty, the cuffs were broken, and the window was open. 

The nurse screamed.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar were driving a red car on the other side of Inkwell City. The men had various casts and band aides on their bodies. Charley was frowning with anger as he drove while Barley and Edgar looked at each other worriedly in the back seats.

“Tell ‘im,” Barley whispered.

The spider sighed. “So, uh, boss,” Edgar said. “Barley and I have been thinking.”

“That sounds dangerous,” Charley said.

“Hehe, yeah,” Edgar said nervously. “Speaking of dangerous. We know you’re still mad that Bendy escaped us, again, but maybe... we should... um-. He’s just much... more than what we expected. So... maybe we should... um-”

“Oh, for the love of the sea!” Barley said. “We should just forget about ‘im! ‘Untin’ down that creep isn’t gettin’ any easier or makin’ us any better! We should just give up on ‘im.”

Charley made a sharp turn into an alleyway and turned off the engine. The sailor and spider expected a yell from the boss. Instead, the man sighed and put his forehead on the steering wheel.

“Maybe you two have a point,” Charley said.

Barley and Edgar were stunned.

“I knew he’d be trouble, but I didn’t expect him to turn into that... monster,” Charley said. “Maybe we shou-” he hissed with pain coming from his broken leg. He looked down at the cast around his leg and noticed something scribbled on it. He turned the cast slightly and slowly and saw some writing on it in ink.

Enjoy Prison Nitwit! – Bendy

Charley growled, his head turned red, and he shook with rage.

“Boss?” Edgar asked.

“We are going to find that little creep and we won’t stop UNTIL HE’S DEAD!!!” Charley shouted.

Barley and Edgar groaned.

“BENDY!!!!” Charley shouted.

Somewhere in the forest, Bendy was laughing.

Chapter Text

At the Kettle Cottage, Cuphead and Mugman were tap dancing to some upbeat jazz music for Elder Kettle who was holding his cookie jar. The cups were smiling, spinning their heads around, throwing jazz hands, playing the piano, and then finished with a confetti explosion. Kettle whistled with delight.

“Looks like it worked,” Cuphead whispered to his brother.

“Yeah, he’s charmed all right,” Mugman whispered back.

Kettle chuckled heartedly. “So charming!” he said as he held two cookies. “But you two will never charm your way into my cookie jar!” he munched on the two cookies and walked away into the kitchen.

Cuphead and Mugman groaned.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

The door opened and it was the annoyed kitten, Bendy.

“Hi Bendy,” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“Hey,” Bendy muttered before he closed the door behind him. “Any progress on that charm dancing?” he asked.

“Nope. Kettle still won’t give up the cookies. You?” Cuphead said.

“Nope, Dad won’t give me any of his food cake,” Bendy said. “I swear, that Chalice chick was just messing with us!”

“No way!” Cuphead said. “Chalice wouldn’t do that.”

“We know nothing about her,” Mugman said. “Except she abandoned us and then never came to visit us in prison.”

“See, that’s two things we know about her already,” Cuphead said.

Mugman sighed. “I really thought she was gonna be another friend.” He said. “It was nice not being on our own.”

Bendy cleared his throat and raised an eyebrow at Mugman.

“Don’t get me wrong,” Mugman said. “It’s great being the three of us but Chalice was kind of fun too... before she got us arrested like that.”

“She was... talented,” Bendy said. “But that’s just what you get for trying to make friends with a scammer. You get scammed.”

“She’s not a-,” Cuphead said but was cut off when Mugman and Bendy gave him looks. “Okay so she’s a scammer, but I still think she can be a friend. I mean we did make friends with a trouble-making devil, why can’t we be friends with Chalice?”

“Well, if she’s so great, then how come we never heard from her again, hmm?” Mugman said.

Bendy smiled mischievously. “You know I could hunt her down and bring her here if you guys want to see her that badly,” he said.

Mugman rolled his eyes and smiled. “Sure Bendy, you go right ahead...” he said sarcastically before he sat on the couch. “As much as we-...” he stopped when he saw that Bendy had disappeared. “Wh-where did he go?”

“He jumped out the window two seconds ago,” Cuphead said as he pointed at the open window.

Mugman gasped and jumped back on his feet. “Wait! Bendy! No! I didn’t mean it!” he cried out. He ran to the door, opened it, and prepared to run... but stopped when he saw what was waiting on the doorstep.

Bendy was smiling victoriously and was holding Chalice, who was tied up and gagged, over his head.

“Lookie what I found,” Bendy said.

“Whoa! That was quick,” Cuphead said, impressed.

“Are you crazy!? This is not a good thing!” Mugman yelled. “This is kidnapping!”

“It’s not kidnapping if we release her later,” Bendy said. He walked over to the couch and placed Chalice there.

“Let’s untie her,” Mugman said.

Cuphead and Mugman reached for the rope.

“Careful, she’s a kicker,” Bendy said.

Chalice kicked the brothers, shimmied the ropes off her body, and pulled the gag off.

“You demented nutjob!” Chalice said, pointing at Bendy.

“Flattery will get you nowhere here toots,” Bendy said confidently.

Chalice scoffed but her expression softened as she looked at Cuphead and Mugman.

“Sorry for the kick fellas,” Chalice said.

“We didn’t want to kidnap you, really,” Cuphead said.

“I am mad about that but at the same time, I’m kinda glad you brought me here,” Chalice said.

“Why?” the three boys asked.

“Because I’m being chased by an angry mob,” Chalice said as she jumped off the couch and closed the curtains.

The boys gasp. “Angry mob!” they said. 

“Yep, an angry mob,” Chalice said as she nailed planks over the window. “You know all those chumps who gave me free stuff? Well, they started to catch on that I was scamming ‘em. Apparently, they got a problem with that. So, I thought I could stay here since we had such a great time last time.”

She playfully punched Cuphead and Mugman but Bendy blocked her punch to him.

Bendy smiled. “Oh yeah it was a great time, wasn’t it?” he said. “You know up until you ditched us! Pfft, gone!” he frowned as he yelled.

“Cuphead and I wound up in the big house cause of that!” Mugman yelled.

“The big house?” Chalice said. “Gee, I had no idea.” She sighs. “Gosh, fellas, I’m sorry I got you tossed in the hoosegow.”

““Sorry” won’t bring us back so many cold, cold nights in the slammer,” Mugman said.

“The crowbar hotel,” Cuphead said.

“The rack,” Bendy said.

“The pokey,” Chalice said.

“The clink,” Mugman said.

“The stony lonesome,” Chalice said.

“The convict condo!” Cuphead said.

“The delinquent dungeon!” Bendy said.

“The zoo for criminals,” Mugman said.

“The ol’ hooba-dooba.” Chalice said.

“Yeah! The old... hooba-dooba?” Cuphead said.

“The old hooba-dooba? That’s not a thing!” Mugman said.

“That’s not even a word!” Bendy said. 

“Well, if you never heard of it, that’s your problem,” Chalice said. “Hmm!”

Bendy growled.

“And what are you so mad about?” Chalice asked Bendy. “You disappeared too,”

“The Butcher Gang kidnapped me.”

“The Butcher Gang? Again?” Chalice asked.

“Yeah, they got into the factory somehow and jumped me. Now what’s your excuse for disappearing?”

“I-... Look. The point is, you disappeared, then you two knocked yourselves out, cops stormed in, and I was just lucky to get away. Cookies were pretty good though, huh?”

“She’s got us there,” Cuphead said.

“I do like cookies,” Mugman said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bendy said.

“So what’ll it be, boys?” Chalice asked. “Can your ol’ pal Chalice stick around? Or am I gonna be out on my own, running from an angry mob?”

“Angry mob?” came Kettle’s voice.

“Uh-oh,” Cuphead said.

“That’s where this kettle draws the line.” Kettle said before he started pushing Chalice towards the door. “I want you out of here this instant, missy!” 

“Wait!” Chalice said. “Did I mention, uh, this?”

Jazz music played and Chalice tap danced. She gave a wink and a smile at the end.

The kettle laughed.

“How delightfully charming,” Kettle said smiling. “Of course, you can hide here from your mob, Ms. Chalice. Oh! And here, have a cookie.” He gave her a cookie and walked out of the room. “What a delight!”

Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman were shocked with their jaws to the floor before their heads rolled off their bodies.

“How does she do that?” Cuphead asked.

The boys picked up their heads and spun them back into place. They ended up making themselves dizzy.

“I don’t know,” Mugman said.

“So, what do you do for fun around here?” Chalice asked munching on the cookie.

The three boys smiled. The kids went outside and had a rodeo with the pet goat. The boys took turns riding the goat, hooting, and hollering. Chalice was quickly bored watching Cuphead and Mugman while Bendy leaned on the well next to her.

“Having fun yet toots?” Bendy teased.

Chalice huffed and walked over to the brothers. Bendy followed her.

“All right, all right. I see exactly where this is going. Nowheres.” Chalice said.

Cuphead and Mugman made sad faces.

“Come on, fellas, huddle up,” Chalice said. The kids huddled together along with the goat. “Now, we can stay here at the boring old cottage, or we can go out into the real world and live. What do you say?”

The boys smiled and Bendy squeezed Chalice’s wrist. He froze when he noticed something.

“We’re in.” Cuphead and Mugman said.

The goat bleated.

“Bendy?” Cuphead asked.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I’m in,” Bendy said.

“Swell,” Chalice said. “There’s a dance contest downtown. I entered us in it earlier.”

“While you were running from the mob?” Mugman asked.

“That’s right. But it’s too far to walk. We’re gonna need a ride.”

They all looked at the goat and Bendy grabbed some rope from his pocket. The goat ran away with a bleat as Bendy tried to lasso him but missed. The kitten snapped his fingers.

“Well, any other ideas?” Chalice asked.

They looked over the fence and saw the red truck.

“But that’s Elder Kettle’s truck,” Mugman said.

“Yeah, we’re not allowed to drive it,” Cuphead said.

“Ha! Nobody said anything about you two driving,” Chalice said with a mischievous smile.

“Wait, what?” Mugman said.

Minutes Later...

The kids were in the truck with Chalice at the wheel. Driving so fast the tires screeched with every turn. Chalice laughed and Mugman whimpered while Cuphead and Bendy enjoyed the wind against their faces. Bendy loved the breeze against his fur.

“Lookie there!” Chalice said pointing up.

Up above was a red zeppelin passing by. It transformed into Hilda Berg who laughed menacingly as she waved at them.

The kids waved back, not noticing the cornfield until they drove through it. The truck spun until it stopped outside the cornfield... and on top of some train tracks. A bell dinged and a train whistle blew close by. The children gasped and then screamed when they saw the oncoming train.

“Start the truck!” Bendy yelled. “Start the truck!”

“I’m trying!” Chalice yelled as she turned the key, but the engine wouldn’t start.

The train was getting closer, and the whistle grew louder. The kids screamed just before the train hit the truck. The kids were hurled into the air along with scattered pieces of the truck. They yelled as they fell back down into a building with four roof doors open. There was a banner hanging across the building saying, “DANCE CONTEST”. The truck reassembled itself as the kids entered the contest.

Later That Night...

The kids came back to the Kettle Cottage, laughing.

“That was swell!” Chalice said as she held the first-place trophy. “I usually charm my way into first place alone, but we did that one together. It’s kinda nice not being on my own, and we could do it all again tomorrow.” She danced into the next room. “And the next day, and the next day, and the next day too.”

Bendy stretched out his arms. “Well, I better get going.” He said, “See you guys tomorrow.” He walked away and closed the door.

“Bye Bendy,” Cuphead and Mugman said.

“See, Mugsy? Chalice is a great friend.” Cuphead said. “Now, aren’t you glad we let her hide here from the angry mob?”

Mugman’s eyes widened. “Angry mob? Hmm.” He said. He grabbed the cup by the handle, pulled him into the closet, and closed the door.

The cups opened their eyes in the dark.

“Hey! What gives?” Cuphead said.

“Shh! Not so loud,” Mugman whispered. “Cuphead, I’m starting to wonder if there ever was an angry mob.”

Cuphead gasped. “You calling Chalice a liar?” he said.

A pair of yellow eyes appeared in the darkness.

“I think he is,” Bendy said.

The brothers gasped.

“Bendy? How did you-” Mugman asked.

“Powers, duh,” Bendy interjected. “Listen, Chalice is definitely lying, and if she were really worried about this angry mob, why would she suggest we go to the town? Hmmm?”

“He’s got a point Cuphead,” Mugman said.

A fourth pair of eyes appeared in the dark.

“Okay fine,” Chalice said.

The boys gasped. Bendy and Mugman looked at Chalice suspiciously.

“I admit it. I lied.” Chalice said. “Even though the cat dragged me here, the truth is, I... I wanted to hang out with you three dum-dums again.”

“So, you made up the angry mob as an excuse to see us?” Bendy asked.

“Yeah. I never really had friends to have fun with before you guys. I’ve just been on my own for years. Do you have any idea what that feels like?”

For once, Bendy couldn’t tease or make a snark remark. He sighed.

“Yeah... I do,” Bendy said.

“So, you really did miss us, Chalice?” Mugman said.

“That’s right, ding-dongs,” Chalice said. “Even you Kitty,”

“Don’t call me Kitty,” Bendy said.

“Stop calling me toots and you got a deal,” Chalice said.

RING RING

The doorbell rang twice, and Chalice turned on the light in the closet.

“Who could that be?” Cuphead said.

They all got out of the closet.

Mugman walked to the front door.

“Oh, I don’t know.” Mugman said, “Maybe that’s your angry mob now.” He chuckled and opened the door.

An angry mob of people from the city, led by the glasses store clerk, were chanting.

“Give us Chalice! Give us Chalice! Give us—”

Mugman slammed the door closed. “Chalice, it’s for you.” He said blankly.

The mob banged on the door and Mugman screamed as he ran away.

“So the angry mob is real?” Cuphead asked Chalice.

“Remember when I said I was lying about the angry mob?” Chalice said. “Well, the funny thing is, I was lying about lying about the angry mob.” She chuckled nervously. “We’re still friends, though, right? Right?”

The angry mob continued to bang on the door until it fell off its hinges. The people walked toward the kids, but Cuphead raised his hands to stop them. 

“Guys, guys! Shh!” Cuphead whispered before he pointed to the side.

Elder Kettle was napping on his chair. He was snoring and his nose whistled.

“Oh, sorry! Sorry.” The glasses clerk said. “Let’s go outside.”

Everyone tiptoed out the door until they were outside and closed the door. 

“You were saying?” Cuphead said to the angry mob. 

“Step aside, boys,” The clerk said. “we don’t want you. We just want the chalice.”

The people raised pitchforks and torches as they moved closer to the four children.

“Give us Chalice! Give us Chalice! Give us Chalice!” the mob chanted.

“Being the four ding-dongs was fun while it lasted,” Chalice said. “But it looks like I’m on my own again.”

“On your own?” Mugman said. He pulled up his blue pants and snapped the waistband. “Now listen here!” He said before he cleared his throat. “I know all of you are angry. You’re an angry mob, it’s in your name.”

The mob yelled in agreement.

“And it’s true, Chalice is a lying, grifting, friend-abandoning thief—”

“Okay!” Chalice interjected. “Mugman, everybody! Give him a hand!”

“Not finished!” Mugman said as he pushed Chalice back. “But did her dancing not bring you joy? And isn’t that joy worth the cost of an eensy-weensy, little bit of money?”

The people in the mob glanced at each other for a moment.  

“No!” the mob said collectively.

Mugman laughed nervously. “Okay then.” He whimpered.

The brothers hugged each other.

“Nice try, Mugsy, but looks like they’re not buying it,” Cuphead said. He turned his head. “Any ideas, Chalice? Chalice?”

The boys noticed that the chalice girl had disappeared on them.

“She ghosted again!” Mugman said.

Bendy groaned.

“Hey!” The Gumball Machine yelled. “His heartfelt speech was just a distraction so that she could get away!”

The people in the mob yelled and grumbled.

“Wait!” The glasses clerk said. “We did come all this way. You want to just beat them up?” she gestured to the three boys.

The rest of the mob agreed and moved in closer to the boys. Cuphead and Mugman huddled together but Bendy moved in between the mob and his friends.

“Stop!” Bendy yelled as he raised his left hand. “Don’t come any closer or else!”

The people chuckled a bit.

“Or else what?” the clerk said slyly.

“Or else this!” Bendy yelled as he reached behind his back with his other hand.

Suddenly, the club the pig hotdog vendor, one of the mob people, was holding was pulled from his hand and floated in the air.

“Hey, my club!” the pig said before the club hit him on his head.

A black cat yowled before getting hit by the same club. An apple boy got hit next. The club floated in front of the mob and they screamed before running away.

Cuphead and Mugman were watching the whole time and looked up at Bendy with wide eyes.

“Whoa! Bendy that was amazing!” Cuphead said. “You never told us you could do that.”

“Uh, I can’t,” Bendy said. “I was just gonna use these,” he pulled out his ink bombs.

“But if you’re not doing this then who?” Mugman whispered.

“Yoo-hoo!” came Chalice’s voice.

The boys looked up and saw Chalice’s ghost form floating above them.

“Hi’ya, fellas!” Chalice said as she waved at the boys before she threw the club away.

All three boys looked surprised.

“You’re a g-g-g-g-g...” Cuphead and Mugman stuttered.

“A ghost!?” Bendy said.

“That’s right!” Chalice said. “Anyway, I gotta lay low for a while, but we’ll hang out again soon. Promise!” she smiled and gave them a wink. “Oh, and, uh, fellas?”

“Yeah?” Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman asked.

“Boo,” Chalice said before she disappeared.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed before fainting while Bendy just laughed.

The kitten sighed. “Who would’ve thought.” He said. “I knew she was hiding somethin’ but wow!” He opened the front door before dragging Cuphead and Mugman inside. “See ya later, Ms. Chalice,” he said before he closed the door.

Chapter Text

Many Years Ago...

Down in the Underworld, there was a small library that was accessible only to The Devil and his son, Bendall. The Devil was passing by until he noticed little Bendy sitting on a cushion in front of the fireplace, reading a large book. The father stopped by the door and smiled as he watched the little bookworm devil.

“Better to sleep with a sober cannibal than a drunken Christian.” Bendy read from the book before turning a page.

The Devil couldn’t help but nod in agreement but stopped.

“Christian?” the big devil whispered. “Uh, son.” He said aloud as he walked closer to his son.

The little devil looked up from the book.

“What exactly are you reading about?” The Devil asked a little nervously.

“It’s about sailors and a whale,” Bendy said.

The Devil slowly lifted the book to see the cover. Moby Dick. The big devil sighed in relief.

“Oh! I thought you were reading something inappropriate for a second,” The Devil said before he patted his son’s head. “Carry on!” he sat in his chair. “But let me know if you ever want to hear about real sea monsters.”

Bendy looked up from his book. “Are they scarier than the whale?” he asked curiously.

“Oh, definitely scarier,” the big devil grinned evilly.

Most would tremble at seeing such a smile on The Devil, but not the little devil. Bendy smiled back and closed his book. His father picked him up and placed him on his lap.

Present Day...

It was a beautiful sunny day in Inkwell City, and Bendy, Cuphead, and Mugman were out walking on a dock. Bendy was in his kitten disguise, and he and Mugman were eating candied apples.

“What’re we doing at the dock?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, Cup, this better be good,” Bendy said.

“Don’t worry, it will be,” Cuphead said.

The three boys walked further down the dock, passing by rough-looking sailors who were hard at work. They threw boxes around, lifted boxes with rope and hooks, and dropped dead fish around. The boys dodged all the boxes.

“Tell me, fellas, have either of you ever wished you were pirates?” Cuphead asked.

They walked over a dead shark.

“You know very well that I have,” Mugman answered.

“Once or twice,” Bendy answered.

Cuphead stopped walking. “Well, all your swashbuckling dreams are about to come true,” he said. “‘Cause we’re gonna have a high seas adventure!” He pointed at the docked pirate ship right next to them.

“We don’t know the first thing about sailing,” Mugman said. “We could end up dead!”

Cuphead snatched Mugman’s candied apple and booped his nose with it.

“That, my blue-nosed brother, is why it’s called an adventure!” the cup said.

A seagull swooped down and grabbed Mugman’s candied apple from Cuphead.

“Ooh, my candied apple!” the mug cried out.

“Adventure!” Cuphead yelled, waving his fingers around.

“I’m in!” Bendy said after he finished his apple and started climbing the rope ladder on the side of the ship.

“Wait for us!” Cuphead said before he jumped on the rope to follow Bendy.

“Wait. Wait. Wait, wait, wait,” Mugman said. Cuphead and Bendy stopped climbing. “You can’t just climb aboard someone’s ship. You need permission first!”

“Only if the ship is painted red,” Cuphead said.

“The ship is painted red!” Mugman argued.

“I wasn’t finished. Painted red-purp-orange!”

“Red-purp-orange isn’t even a color!” the mug said angrily.

“So we’re good then!”

“Hey, you scallywags, you comin’ up or what?” Bendy said.

“I’m comin’!” Cuphead said before he climbed the rope ladder.

“I refuse to board without permission,” Mugman said after turning around and pouting.

“Suit’cha self!” Cuphead yelled. He climbed aboard. “Wow! So amazing!”

“Mugman, you gotta see this!” Bendy yelled.

“Not without permission!” Mugman said with resolve.

The two boys could be heard running around the deck.

“Is that what I think it is?” Bendy asked with excitement.

“Bendy, look at this!” Cuphead said.

“I can’t believe it!”

Mugman tried to resist it, but he started to sweat, and his lips quivered as he continued to listen to Cuphead and Bendy’s excitement and laughter.

“And one of these? I’ve always wanted one of these!” Cuphead yelled.

“Me too!” Bendy yelled. “Mugman!”

Cuphead and Bendy ran to the side of the boat to see Mugman.

“Mugman, you’re really missin’ out!” Bendy yelled.

“Yeah! YOU could be havin’ a high sea’s adventure right now!” Cuphead yelled.

Mugman’s face turned red before he shouted.

“Don’t you think I want that!? I need permission!!!”

Bendy rolled his eyes. “Oh, for hell’s sake,” he muttered before yelling. “Mugman, you have permission to come aboard!”

“Yaaay!” the mug yelled happily before he chuckled as he climbed the rope ladder.

Mugman climbed aboard and was amazed by the pirate ship. There was rope everywhere, swords and scabbards, barrels, a cannon, and pretty much anything else you’d find on a pirate ship except pirates.

“Where are all the pirates?” Mugman asked.

“Who cares?” Bendy said. “We got the ship all to ourselves,”

“And all the stuff they left behind,” Cuphead said. “Look what I found,” the cup pulled out two scabbards from behind his back. His arms trembled from the heavy weight of the blades, but he managed to throw one to Mugman. “Catch!” he said.

The scabbard missed the mug and cut through a barrel. Mugman pulled it out and dragged it to play with his friends. Soon the three boys were playing around with the scabbards, cutting some wood and ropes.

One rope that Cuphead cut accidentally unanchored the ship from the dock, and it cricked as it slowly moved.

Bendy made a slash for Mugman but missed and the scabbard cut the rope releasing the sail.

The wind picked up, making the ship move faster. The boys found the rope ladder leading to the crow’s nest.

“I call lookout!” Cuphead said. He started climbing but Mugman grabbed his handle.

“No. Me!” Mugman said before he pushed Cuphead back.

“No. Me!” Bendy yelled. He jumped on the rope ladder.

The boys pulled and pushed while climbing until all three reached the crow’s nest. They looked at the scenery in amazement. The clear blue ocean with the sun shining overhead and the pirate flag fluttering in the wind.

“Amazing,” Bendy said with sparkling eyes.

“Just look at all that ocean,” Mugman said. “Makes you feel like a real pirate,”

“Huh. The shore keeps getting smaller.” Cuphead said as he looked back.

They all looked behind them and saw the buildings in Inkwell City getting smaller.

“Oh yeah,” Mugman said. “And the ocean keeps getting bigger.”

“Wait. Are we...” Bendy said.

“WE’RE OUT AT SEA!” Mugman yelled.

His words echoed around them as they drifted further out to the sea. Mugman grabbed the mast for dear life and screamed.

“I’m not a real pirate. I’m a fake pirate,” Mugman said before sobbing.

“We’re out at sea all alone on a pirate ship,” Bendy said plainly before he smiled and laughed.

“Now, this is a high seas adventure!” Cuphead said. “Anchors, aweigh!”

“Fire the cannons!” Bendy yelled.

“Ready the gangplank!”

“Throw ‘em in the brig!”

Just then, the ship started to rock against some choppy waves. The boys tried to steady themselves but were eventually thrown out of the nest and landed on the ship’s deck with a thud. Once they got back on their feet, they heard a man yawning.

Suddenly, the ship door opened as a brutish-looking pirate kicked it. He was wearing a long-sleeved grey shirt, red pants, black belt, brown boots, and a red and yellow bandana on his head. He also had an eye patch over his right eye, an earring, and a big black beard covering half of his face.

The boys were silent and still. Too surprised to do anything.

The pirate grabbed a green parrot that just flew right past him and placed it on his shoulder. The pirate didn’t seem to notice the boys as he walked past them and tried to grab his pirate cup, but he accidentally grabbed Cuphead’s head. He grabbed a handful of cocoa beans, crushed them in his fist, and the droplets fell into Cuphead’s milk.

The cup’s eyes turned chocolaty brown.

As the pirate took a slurp of the coco, his eyes met Cuphead’s. The cup chuckled nervously before the pirate spat out the coco and dropped the cup.

Bendy reached out and caught the cup before it hit the floor. He placed the cup back on Cuphead’s body.

“There you go,” Bendy said, still holding Cuphead’s face after he turned the head. “Good as new,”

Cuphead’s cheeks turned pink once he noticed how close he and Bendy were right now. The sound of feet stomping made Bendy back away, and the pirate’s voice broke Cuphead out of his stupor.

“Yargh! Who dares stow away on the ship of Captain Brineybeard?” the pirate captain asked opposingly.

Cuphead and Mugman hugged Briney’s legs.

“A real, real pirate!” Mugman said gratefully.

“You can take us on a high-seas adventure!” Cuphead said excitedly.

“Adventure? We’re going home!” Mugman argued.

“No way! High seas adventure!” Cuphead yelled.

“Home.”

“Adventure!”

“Home!”

“Adventure!”

“Home!”

“Adventure!”

As the brothers kept arguing, Briney looked at Bendy.

“Yeah. They’re just gonna keep going.” Bendy explained.

Briney picked the cups up and hung them by their handles with daggers stuck to the mass.

“He’s gonna kill us!” Mugman cried out.

“Leave them alone!” Bendy shouted. He pounced and scratched Briney.

The pirate pried the kitten off, threw him in a barrel full of water and live fish, and closed it. The barrel shook as Bendy hissed and grunted. The barrel lid flew up after Bendy kicked it. His head emerged and gasped. Brineybeard stared for a second before he slowly lifted his thumb and rubbed it across the kitten’s face.

“Excuse you!” Bendy yelled.

Briney rubbed the ink between his fingers. “Your nose is drawn on?” he said.

Before Bendy could reply, Cuphead spoke up.

“M-mister, please let us go,” Cuphead pleaded. “We were just looking for a high seas adventure, that’s all.”

“It was all his idea!” Mugman yelled as he pointed at Cuphead.

“Stop squawking and start sniffing!” Brineybeard yelled before he sniffed the air.

“Start sniffing! Start sniffing!” the parrot squawked.

Cuphead and Mugman started sniffing.

Bendy raised his hand. “I can’t sniff,” he said. “I don’t have nostrils,”

“You can’t sniff?” Briney asked. “Then how do you smell?”

“Not bad, I take baths,” Bendy joked.

Cuphead snickered.

“But if I wanted to smell something, I do this,” Bendy said before he stuck out his forked tongue. It flickers in the air.

“Do ye’ smell that?” Briney asked.

“Fear?” Mugman asked.

“Fish guts?” Cuphead asked.

“Your fishy breath?” Bendy asked.

“No! That be the pungent aroma of love.” Briney said before he smiled fondly.

“Love?” the three boys repeated.

“Soon I shall reunite with me girlfriend, and this time it’ll be forever!” Brineybeard said before he pulled out a large heart-shaped candy box from behind his back.

“Gee, uh, what’s in the box, mister?” Mugman asked.

The captain started singing, and his parrot joined in.

“Thaaaaaaaaaaar~ Sweets for me sweet~ (Ha, ha!)

I win her back with treats (With treats!) ~”

The pirate danced around as he sang while the boys just watched in confusion.

“I need her like this pirate needs this ship beneath his feet

A man gets lonely by himself when he’s at sea

(Lost at sea, lost at sea!)

I’ve missed her since the day she said “Goodbye” (Goodbye)

She made me heart walk the plank when she left me

If she don’t take me back, I’ll surely die~” 

“He’s gonna cry, gonna cry!” The parrot squawked.

“No, I ain’t!” Briney yelled before crushing a barrel with his arms.

“I’m bringin’ sweets for me sweet (Ha, ha!)

Sweet treats for hеr to eat

Of all the creaturеs in the deep blue sea

She makes me life complete!~”

“You’re adorable!” The parrot squawked.

“Shut up!” The pirate yelled. His cheeks were burning red.

“Well, sounds like you two have quite the reunion planned,” Mugman said. “So, if you could just drop us off back at the docks, we’ll get out of your hair.”

Brineybeard pulled the cups off the mass. “We ain’t turning back till we get me girlfriend back.” He placed the brothers back on the floor.

“Oh, I know!” Cuphead said. “We’ll help you get your girl back, and you take us on a high-seas adventure.”

“No. He means he’ll take us home!” Mugman argued.

“Adventure!”

“Home!”

“Adventure!”

“Home!”

“Adventure!”

“Home!”

The pirate turned his attention to the kitten in the barrel.

“If I let ye out, are ye gonna scratch me again?” Briney said.

“Only if ye try to hurt them,” Bendy said and pointed at the brothers.

“Deal,” the pirate said.

Bendy climbed out of the barrel and shook off the water. He had to take off his tail sock and wring it.

“If ye do help me get me girlfriend back, I’ll be forever in your debt.” Brineybeard said, “But I’ll be honest with ye, our chances of survival are slim to none. And Slim just drowned.”

Mugman was about to speak, but Cuphead stopped him.

“I like those odds. We’re in!” Cuphead said. He pulled Bendy and Mugman to his sides.

“Cuphead, are you crazy?” Mugman asked.

“Squawk! Cuphead’s crazy! Cuphead’s crazy!” The parrot squawked.

“Prepare for the high seas adventure!” Brineybeard said before he laughed.

“Yaaay!” Cuphead and Bendy exclaimed.

“Uh, could we make it a medium-seas adventure?” Mugman asked meekly.

“There’s no such thing!” Brineybeard yelled.

Soon, the four were sailing the pirate ship further out to sea. The sun disappeared behind the clouds, and the ship sailed into a wall of fog. At the other end of the wall was a sea of shipwrecks. The only sounds were the waves, random bells from the shipwrecks, and the cawing of birds.

Brineybeard managed to steer the ship through the wreckage.

“I was, uh, picturing less shipwrecks,” Mugman said. “Brineybeard, where are we?”

“This be where she lives,” Brineybeard said.

“Your girlfriend lives on wrecked pirate ships?” Cuphead asked.

“Nay, she feasts on wrecked pirate ships. She lives in that thar creepy cove.” Brineybeard pointed ahead of them.

The boys looked and saw a creepy skull-shaped cave getting bigger as they sailed closer.

The brothers gulped while Bendy smiled.

“I’m excited to meet this lady,” Bendy said as his tail wagged. “Tell us about her, Captain,”

“She be strong, beautiful, and she slaughters all who dare approach her domain.”

“The domain we are slowly getting closer to?” Bendy asked.

“Aye,”

Cuphead and Mugman grew even more nervous.

“That last part seems like an important detail you could have mentioned sooner,” Mugman said.

“Certain death. Certain death.” The parrot squawked.

“Huh, all this sounds... familiar...” Bendy said before he rubbed his fingers against his head. “Hmm,”

“Hey, uh, Briney? What’s with all the screaming statues?” Cuphead asked.

The other boys also noticed the stone statues of screaming frightened pirates on some of the shipwrecks. Brineybeard laughed.

“They ain’t statues, they be pirates,” Brineybeard explained. “Turned to stone when they gazed into the eyes of the dreaded sea beast.”

““Dreaded sea beast”?” the boys said.

“You never mentioned a dreaded sea beast before,” Bendy said.

“Nay! I told you from the start. We’re going to find me love.” Briney said.

“You’re in love with a dreaded sea beast?” Mugman asked.

“Yuck! Keep that mushy stuff out of my high seas adventure, will ya?” Cuphead said.

“Bite your tongue! Or me sword will bite it for ye.” Briney said, pointing his sword at Cuphead.

The sword started to move and now had a face. “You can bite it, or I can bite it, but either way it’s gon’ get bit.” It said before it poked Cuphead’s nose.

“Wait a minute...” Bendy said. “Shipwrecks everywhere, surrounded by fog, a skull-shaped cave, stoned pirates.” He gasped before he pushed the sword away from the cup’s face. “Uh, Briney, your girlfriend wouldn’t happen to have a dead octopus for hair, would she?”

“Aye, that she does,” Briney said as he sheathed his sword.

“Okay, just checkin’,” Bendy chuckled nervously before he pulled the cup brothers back. “We’ve got to get out of here,” he shouted softly. “He’s talking about Cala Maria,”

“Who?” Cuphead whispered.

“My dad told me about her,” Bendy whispered. “She’s the most dangerous monster in all the seas, and if we stay here any longer, we will get killed,” Bendy whispered.

Mugman shook with fear.

“So, it’s Calamius?” Cuphead said.

“It’s Cala Maria,” Bendy whispered quieter.

“Caramella?” Cuphead said.

“Cala Maria!” Bendy yelled.

The little devil covered his mouth, but his voice had already begun to echo in the air. Suddenly the water began to rumble, and bubbles were forming in front of the ship.

Brineybeard gasped and smiled. “That means she’s close!”

Just then, the monster appeared. It had a mermaid body, snakes for hair, red eyes, and sharp teeth. She towered over them and roared as thunder boomed and lightning flashed. Cuphead and Mugman screamed and hugged each other.

“Me sweet!” Brineybeard said happily.

“Wow, she’s even bigger than Dad said,” Bendy said with excitement.

The monster looked down at the ship. Brineybeard walked to the front of the ship.

“Now if you’ll excuse me, boys, this is between a man and the woman he loves.” The captain said in a serious tone before jumping and waving his arms around. “Cala Maria! Hi! Down here!”

The snakes on Maria’s head hissed.

“It’s me, Brineybeard!” the man called out.

The three boys pulled the captain back just as the monster shot her stone-turning magic at him. It missed the pirate but hit his parrot.

The boys gasped after the stoned parrot fell on the floor.

“We gotta get out of here, Briney. Let’s go!” Cuphead yelled.

Brineybeard pushed the boys back. “Unhand me! I’ll never give up on love,” he said.

The monster shot her magic again at the pirate, but the three boys pushed him out of the way in time.

“Your love wants you dead!” Mugman yelled.

“Relationships are a series of peaks and valleys,” Briney said. “Now step aside.” He picked up the boys and placed them aside before walking closer to the edge of the ship. “Me sweet, I present to ye a token of me love.” He pulled out the heart-shaped box.

Maria leaned in closer as Brineybeard continued.

“A symbol of me enduring devotion, me undying affection...”

“You talk too much,” Maria said.

“...the deepest—”

Before Brineybeard could finish, Maria used her eyes to turn the pirate to stone. The boys gasped at the sight before noticing the monster setting her sights on them.

“Can’t have too many witnesses,” Maria said. Her eyes turned red, and her magic aimed at the cup brothers.

Bendy jumped between the red light and Cuphead and Mugman. The light flashed, and Bendy was turned to stone and hit the floor.

“No!” Cuphead gasped.

Maria turned around and used her tail to make a huge wave that crashed into the ship. Cuphead and Mugman were washed away by the wave, and everything went black.

A While Later...

The four passengers and parrot were washed ashore on the island of Cala Maria’s Cove. Mugman spat out some sand from his mouth, and sand spilled out of his eyes. He shook Cuphead awake. The cup quickly got to his feet.

“Bendy. Where’s Bendy?” Cuphead said, running around. He stopped when he saw the stoned Bendy next to Brineybeard’s statue. The cup pulled the little devil out of the sand. “Bendy?” he said, before wiping the sand off Bendy’s frozen face. “Two hands. Two feet. Head still attached. Phew! He’s still in one piece.” He wrapped his arms around the little devil.

“Uh, Cuphead,” Mugman said slowly. “Didn’t Bendy... have a tail?”

Cuphead’s eyes looked down, and he saw a cracked stub where Bendy’s tail should be. He screamed. “Okay, that’s it, high seas adventure over, let’s get outta here!” he yelled.

“Agreed!” Mugman yelled.

Cuphead yelped as he picked up the Bendy statue and started running. Mugman did run but slowly stopped when he looked back at Briney’s statue. He looked on sadly and pulled the cup back.

“Hey!” Cuphead exclaimed.

“No, Cuphead, we can’t just leave,” Mugman said. He walked over to Brineybeard and pulled the heavy statue back on his feet. He picked up the parrot statue and placed it on Brineybeard’s shoulder. “We promised Briney we’d help him,” he said.

“So your plan is what?” Cuphead asked while he still held the Bendy statue. “Convince a dreaded sea beast that a big rock loves her? You’re crazy!”

“Maybe, but I made a promise, and I’m gonna deliver these sweets,” Mugman said after he grabbed some rope and started wrapping it around the pirate statue.

“You go in there, and you’ll never see Elder Kettle or the cottage ever again.”

“We’re never gonna see Kettle or the cottage again anyway.”

“Well, you’re on your own, buddy.”

“Then you’ll be on your own when The Devil finds you,” Mugman said before pulling on the rope.

“The Devil? What are you talking about?” Cuphead asked.

“Think about it, Cuphead, Bendy has been turned to stone and lost his tail trying to protect us. Do you really think his dad, The Devil, is gonna be happy about that?”

Cuphead couldn’t think of a response.

“If you think The Devil hates you now, just imagine what he’ll do to you when he sees Bendy like that and why!” Mugman said.

Cuphead imagined The Devil looking furious at the cup, setting himself on fire, and the whole world exploding.

“Eh, even for me that’s a bit overboard,” Mugman said after seeing the thought bubble. “I think it would be more like.” He imagined The Devil smashing both cups’ heads with flying hammers. The thought bubble vanished. “So, we either risk our lives facing a dreaded sea beast, or we risk The Devil’s wrath. Which would you prefer? Cuphead?” Mugman noticed his brother was gone. “Cuphead?”

“C’mon, Mugman, we’re burnin’ daylight!” Cuphead yelled.

Mugman turned around and saw Cuphead tying Bendy around Briney.

“Ok, you grab the head, I’ll hold the legs.” The mug said.

The brothers grunted and sighed as they carried the three stone statues along the sand and into the giant cave. The waves splashed against their shoes as they walked. There were bones, swords, and random pieces of treasure everywhere.

“Ooh, look, a starfish,” Mugman said.

Distracted, the mug tripped over a skull on the sand and dropped Briney.

CRACK

The mug slowly looked down and saw the pirate’s legs had broken off from the rest of the body.

“You broke his legs,” Cuphead said softly, looking horrified.

“Uh... There’s always glue.” Mugman said. Just then, a wave from the tides came and took the stone feet away. Desperate, Mugman grabbed two table legs and screwed them over the cracked leg stubs. “Ah. Good as new.” He said, smiling.

“Mmm.” Cuphead hummed unconvincingly.

Mugman’s smile melted away and he sobbed.

Cuphead patted Mugman’s shoulder. “Well, he’s solid stone now. It’s not like he was using ‘em. In fact, this might be a good time to cut our losses with the captain.”

Mugman stopped crying. “No way, Cuphead!” He said. “We can’t abandon Briney. We have a responsibility.”

“Great. If we end up eaten, crushed or turned to stone, we’ll all know whose fault it is.”

“Look, you’re the one who wanted a “high seas adventure.””

“This is no time for the blame game.”

“You started the blame game!”

“It takes two to blame game!”

“Yeah, and you started it.”

As the two cups argued, a giant shadow loomed over them, followed by a growl.

“Who cares who—” Cuphead stopped yelling when he and Mugman noticed the shadow. “Is it... her?” the cup asked.

Mugman slowly turned his head and saw a giant crab monster.

ROAR

“It’s just a giant crab monster,” Mugman said nonchalantly.

“Oh, is that all?” Cuphead asked.

Their eyes widen with shock. “Giant crab monster!” Cuphead and Mugman screamed.

They ran and hid behind Briney’s statue as the crab roared and snapped his claws. The monster reached for them and grabbed... the box of sweets.

“Hey! Those aren’t for you!” Mugman yelled.

The crab hissed and snapped his claws.

“Give me back those sweets!” Mugman yelled before he grabbed a scabbard. “En garde!”

The crab monster grabbed a scabbard. The mug and the crab soon started a sword fight. The cave echoed with the clanging of the scabbards, yelling, roaring, grunting, and gasping. Until Mugman, with a furious swipe, disarmed the crab monster. The crab gasped before the mug silently ordered him to return the box to Briney’s frozen hands and leave. The crab obeyed and tiptoed away.

Mugman smiled victoriously and slipped the scabbard through his shorts. The blade tore the fabric and his pants and scabbard fell to the floor. The mug stood there in his white boxers with red hearts on them. He quickly tried to put his pants back on.

“Shh.” Cuphead hushed.

They heard classical music playing deeper in the cave accompanied by flashing lights. Cuphead and Mugman grabbed the statues and walked quietly toward the cave where the music was playing. The music grew louder as they went. Inside was a huge cavern where Cala Maria stood in water that covered most of her tail.

The boys walked towards the edge of the cliff they were walking on and set the statues of Briney, his parrot, and Bendy down. They hid behind some rocks and listened as the sea monster began to sing.

“My father was a sailor

My mother was a fish

Since I was little girl, I’ve only had one wish~”

“A tiny dream

Belonged to me

To be known across the seven seas~”

“I started small, but my ambition grew!

And now I’m known across the ocean blue~”

“All my life, what I’ve wanted to be

The fiercest monster in the deep blue sea!~”

“It’s a lonely life

But the only life

I would ever want for me~”

“But I’ve come so far

And now I’m a star!

And everyone know me ah!~”

“Yes, I am number one sea beast!~”

“I am the Cala Maria!~”

Mugman, who had walked across to the edge of the cliff, applauded after Maria finished her song.

“Wow, you have a beautiful voice.” Mugman said dreamily.

Cala Maria swam closer and looked down at the mug.

Mugman giggled nervously. “Hi, Miss Cala Maria, ma’am. My name is—”

“Dinner,” Maria said. “Your name is Dinner.”

“Actually, my name is... Oh. You’re going to eat us.” Mugman said.

Maria stared him down, unamused.

“Well, if you’re gonna eat us, then I’m gonna tell you why we came here,” Mugman said.

Maria groaned and rolled her eyes.

“This stone loves you,” Mugman said as he pointed at Briney.

Cuphead was holding Bendy in one arm. “Yeah. It’s love on the rocks.” He said with a laugh. “Get it?”

“Not helping,” Mugman said.

“Kid,” Maria said. “I don’t have the slightest idea what you are talking about.”

“Look, he even brought this for you,” Mugman said as he showed the heart-shaped box to the sea monster.

“A gift? Wow.” Maria said, sounding genuinely surprised. “No one has ever given me a gift before. What is it?”

“See for yourself!” Mugman said before he opened the box.

Inside the box were various fish parts, two hearts, two livers, octopus tentacles, and three eggs. Flies came buzzing around the fish pieces.

Mugman sniffed and noticed the bad smell. After he looked in the box, he gagged.

“Ugh! I’m so sorry.” The mug said. “I thought they were sweets.”

“They are!” Maria said happily. “Oh! He even brought my favorite. Squid livers.” She grabbed a liver and ate it. “Mm. Mmm!”

“Yuck,” Cuphead and Mugman said.

After licking her fingers, Maria looked at the Briney statue fondly.

“Mm, what a sweet gesture,” Maria said. “Too bad I turned him into stone.” She leaned down and kissed the pirate statue. “Now, where were we? Ah, yes.” She roared, and her tentacles turned into hissing snakes.

The boys whimpered, cowered, and covered their eyes. Cuphead held onto the Bendy statue tightly.

An energy pulsed from Briney’s statue in the shape of a pink heart, and the stone began to crack. Where Cuphead’s arms were, a pink ring wrapped around Bendy’s torso, and the stone began to crack. Suddenly statues shook, the stone shells broke away, and Bendy, Briney, and the parrot were free. The little devil slumped in the cup’s arms while the pirate trips over his new peg legs.

Maria gasped.

Bendy groaned and rubbed his head. “What happened?” he asked. “Where am I?”

Cuphead smiled, seeing his friend back to normal until Bendy looked back at him and noticed he was still holding him. In a panic, the cup dropped the little devil on the ground.

“Ow!” Bendy groaned.

“Sorry!” Cuphead said before helping his friend back up.

“Hey, these ain’t me legs!” Briney yelled as he looked at his peg legs.

Mugman whimpered before wailing. “I’m sorry! I dropped you and shattered your legs. I’m a terrible person!” he sobbed.

“Are ya kidding? Most pirates have one peg leg, and I gots two!” Briney said with a laugh. He did a little dance with his peg legs before he smiled at Maria. “Argh.”

“Phew!” Mugman said.

“He lost a limb?” Bendy said. “Neat!”

“Um, he’s not the only one who lost somethin’,” Cuphead said nervously.

Bendy scanned the cup and the mug, then he checked himself. “Two hands. Two feet. I’m still in one piece.” He whispered. Then he looked towards his behind and noticed his tail was missing.

“We didn’t drop you!” Cuphead said. “You lost your tail in the ocean! I’m so sorry!”

“Cuphead, it’s okay,” Bendy said. “I can just regrow it later with some ink,” He shrugged.

The cup sighed in relief.

“No one has ever un-stoned themselves before,” Maria said.

“It’s ‘cause I love you, baby,” Briney said.

The pirate was turned to stone again by the sea beast.

“Don’t call me baby,” Maria said.

A pink heart-shaped energy shattered away the stone, freeing Briney.

“Understood.” The pirate said.

“I’m sorry, what was your name again?” Maria asked.

“Why, it’s me, Brineybeard.”

“Brineybeard! Brineybeard!” The parrot squawked as he flew over the pirate.

“Hmm. Sorry, doesn’t ring a bell.” Maria said.

“Brineybeard!” The pirate repeated. “We went on a date, I took ye to that Italian joint, we had the seafood pasta, and for dessert, we had...”

“Tiramisu...” Maria said as she finally remembered.

“Yes! So, I came all this way to ask ye.” Briney got down on one knee. “Would ye be me girlfriend?” he asked.

Maria looked uncomfortable. “Look, Briney, you’re a nice guy.” She said. “But for me, my career comes first.”

“But—” Briney said.

“Romance isn’t in the cards right now.” Maria continued.

“But—”

“It could never work between us.”

“But—”

From behind Briney, the boys were watching. One of the eggs from the sweets box cracked open, and a sea creature with tentacles came out of the shell and jumped onto Cuphead’s face. The cup screamed and tried to pry the creature off while Mugman and Bendy kept watching the grownups talk.

“In fact, I planned to eat you on our first date,” Maria admitted. “But I filled up on tiramisu.”

Cuphead struggled to pull the creature off his face.

“Would ye at least think about being me girlfriend? Maybe down the road?” Briney asked.

“Oh, sweet, sweet Briney. You are a charmer.” Maria said. “But I’m afraid I must eat you and your crew now. Ah, how about I give you a ten-second head start?”

Cuphead finally managed to pull the octopus off his face and threw it down on the ground.

“What did she say?” Cuphead asked after panting for air.

“Aw, she said she was gonna eat us,” Mugman answered.

The three boys flinched.

“Eat us!?” Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy yelled in unison.

“Run for your lives! Run for your lives!” The parrot squawked.

“Run!” Mugman cried out.

Cuphead, Mugman, Bendy, and Briney ran for the exit and screamed as they ran to the shore outside the cave. Maria was close behind them before retreating into the water.

“Look, there’s the ship!” Cuphead yelled.

The ship was held between two large rocks.

“Hurry!” Cuphead shouted.

Before they could reach the water, Cala Maria emerged from the water and roared. She stood between them and the ship.

“We’ll never escape!” Briney shouted in fear. Then he swooned, “She’s so good at what she does.”

“Really?” Bendy asked, annoyed. He grabbed the box from the pirate. “Hey, Maria! You still want this?” he shouted.

Maria gasped. “My sweets!” she yelled.

“Then go fetch it!” Bendy yelled before he threw the box away in the water.

The sea monster gasped before diving and swimming away.

“Come on!” Mugman cried out.

The boys and pirate ran to the ship. Maria soon found the box, resurfaced, and ate another treat.

“Mmm! So tasty.” Maria said between bites. “Mm, mm, mm!”

“No, no, no, no, no! We’re stuck on the rocks!” Mugman cried out.

“What’re we gonna do?” Cuphead asked frantically.

“We’re gonna die. We’re gonna die.” The parrot squawked.

Briney went around the ship trying to find a way to get the ship off the rocks but was soon distracted seeing Cala Maria.

“Aww! Exquisite,” Briney said.

Maria spotted Briney and gasped, realizing her prey had made it to their ship.

Instead of cowering, the pirate blew her a kiss. Moved by the gesture, Maria blew him a kiss as well. The wind from her kiss was so strong that once the sails caught it, it blew the ship away at a maddening speed.

Cuphead, Mugman, Bendy, and Briney grabbed onto the railing on the stern as the ship sailed far away from Maria’s cove.

“Mugman, thank ye!” Briney yelled happily. “Ye came through on a promise to a pirate! Know what that makes ye?”

“What?” Mugman asked.

“A real pirate!” Brineybeard answered.

Mugman grinned. “Ya hear that, fellas?” he said. “I’m a real pirate!”

Cuphead slowly lost his grip and screamed as he fell off the ship and into the water.

“Well, looks like he finally got his high seas adventure!” Briney said.

Mugman, Bendy, Briney, and the parrot laughed.

Meanwhile, back around Maria’s cove, Bendy’s severed tail turned from stone to life again. It swam away from the cove and out into open water. Its destination... who knows?

Chapter Text

Once the cruise ship docked, people came pouring out and onto the dock to see the sights of Inkwell City. But one human man seemed hesitant to disembark. He was middle-aged with blond-grey hair. He’s wearing a white shirt, brown pants, black shoes, suspenders, and a dark coat.

He stepped on the dock and walked down towards the city. He hailed a taxi and gave the rat cab driver instructions.

“You’re heading pretty far from town, mister,” said the cab driver.

“Yeah, well, my friend lives far from the city,” the man said. “It’ll be good to see him.”

Soon they made it to the fence of the Kettle Cottage. The man walked up to the door, knocked, and waited. Elder Kettle opened the door in a matter of seconds.

“Hello?” Kettle said.

The man saluted. “Stein, reporting, sir,” he said.

Kettle chuckled. “Stein...?” he wondered before he smiled. “Henry Stein? Is that you?” he said.

“Yes, sir,” Henry said. “I hope you don’t mind, but I just got off the cruise ship and thought I drop by,”

“Not at all. It’s good to see an old army friend. Please do come in,”

Henry walked inside, and Kettle brewed up some tea.

“I’m glad to see you, but I wish you had sent me a letter in advance,” Kettle said. “I would have whipped up something special.”

“Don’t worry about it, sir,” Henry said.

Kettle smiled. “Kettle, soldier. I’m not your commander anymore,” he said. He brought the pot to the table and two teacups.

“Alright,” Henry said. “Thank you, Kettle,” he poured the tea into the cups.

“I am surprised you didn’t want to be in the city. You used to grow up here if I remember correctly.”

“I did, but I wasn’t really itching to see the city. It’s probably changed a lot in the last... however many years,”

“How long has it been, Henry?” Kettle asked.

“More than thirty years ago,” Henry said. “But it hardly matters now. I came to see you and have an unsurprising day.”

“Well, if that’s how you feel, then fine. How’s the family?”

“They’re great. Linda’s gone to see her mom in the Rockies, and Benjamin is starting an internship after college,”

“Oh, that’s wonderful! You must be so proud of your boy.”

“I am. How are your boys? Uh, Cuphead and Mugman,”

“They’re doing well. I think they’re still upstairs. I’ll call them down,” Kettle stood up and walked out of the kitchen.

A Few Minutes Earlier...

Cuphead and Mugman were playing with marbles in their bedroom when Bendy climbed up into their window.

“Hey, fellas,” Bendy said. He had the kitten nose drawn on his face and was wearing a cape.

“Hey Bendy,” Cuphead said. “What’s with the cape?” he asked.

“I was hiding my tailless backside from my dad. I told him I was feeling dramatic. Thankfully he bought it.” He whipped the cape over his shoulders, “But I think he’s noticed I’m hiding something, and I’m running out of excuses, I need ink to regrow it.”

“Don’t you have ink at home?” Mugman asked.

“It’s not that easy,” Bendy said. “I used all of my monthly ink supply making those ink bombs, and I can’t ask my dad without him asking why so I came here.”

“I know where we keep some,” Cuphead said. He grabbed an inkwell from the desk.

“That’s my calligraphy ink!” Mugman yelled.

“I’ll get more for you later,” Bendy said.

Cuphead handed the bottle to the little devil.

Bendy opened the inkwell and drank it down. After he finished it, he wiped his lips and looked back at the stump where his tail should be. It only grew an inch longer.

“That’s it?” Cuphead asked.

“Oh, I guess it’s been a while since I’ve done this. I’ll need more ink,” Bendy said.

“No problem, we can get some more at Porkrind’s,” Cuphead said.

“Oh boys, come downstairs and say hello to an old friend of mine,” came Kettle’s voice.

“Be right there, Elder Kettle,” the cup brothers said automatically.

“C’mon, we can go to Porkrind’s right after this,” Cuphead said.

The boys walked downstairs, and Kettle was waiting for them.

“Oh, you’re here too, splendid,” Kettle said, looking at Bendy. “Come into the kitchen, boys.”

The boys walked into the kitchen one by one.

“This is Cuphead,” Kettle said.

“Hi,” Cuphead greeted.

“Mugman,” Kettle said.

“Hello,” Mugman greeted.

“This is their friend, Bendy,” Kettle said.

“Hello, please to mee-...” Bendy said, but his words died out when he saw the man’s face.

“Boys, meet Henry Stein,” Kettle said.

Henry’s eyes widened when he saw Bendy’s, and he gasped.

“He was in my troop while we were in the army,” Kettle said. He then noticed the man’s shocked expression. “Is something wrong, Henry?” he asked.

The kitten and the man just stared at each other for a second before Bendy broke the gaze and ran away. He left the kitchen and kept going until he ran out the front door.

“Bendy?” Cuphead asked before he followed the kitten.

“It was nice to meet you, sir,” Mugman said quickly before he followed his brother.

Henry stuttered.

“What’s the matter?” Kettle asked.

“That was-... I-” Henry stuttered.

“Henry, you’re shaking,” Kettle said.

Cuphead went out the door and saw his friend leaning against the fence and hyperventilating.

“Bendy, are you okay?” Cuphead asked before he placed a hand on Bendy’s shoulder.

“Y-yeah, I’m fine,” Bendy muttered.

“You sure, buddy? You look kinda pale,” Cuphead said.

“Are you alright, Bendy?” Mugman asked after catching up to them.

“I’m fine,” Bendy said firmly while still holding onto the fence. “I just-... wasn’t expecting to see him,”

“You mean Mr. Stein? Do you know him?” Mugman asked.

Before Bendy could respond, Henry walked out of the cottage.

“Bendy?” the man asked. “Is that-?”

“Nope! Nope! Nope!” Bendy said. He grabbed the cups with their handles and ran out the fence and down the dirt trail.

“Bendy! Stop!” Mugman yelled.

“Yeah, we’ll miss Porkrind’s!” Cuphead said.

Bendy kept running but eventually slowed down, dropped the cups, and then he stopped.

“What was that?” Mugman asked.

“What?” Bendy asked.

“You know what I mean! Mr. Stein tried to talk to you, and you just ran away.” Mugman said.

“That’s-... that’s not why I ran,” Bendy said defensively. “I just-... wanted to get a move on with the ink thing.”

“But Mr. Stein-”

“Is not important!” Bendy shouted.

Mugman and Cuphead crossed their arms.

“What?” Bendy asked.

The brothers don’t move and just look at the little devil sternly.

Bendy growled for a second before letting out a breath.

“Fine,” Bendy said, sounding calmer. “Yes, I know Henry Stein. I knew him from a long time ago.” He leaned against a tree and slid onto the ground.

Cuphead and Mugman’s expressions softened.

“How long ago?” the cup asked.

“More than thirty years. Almost as long as The Butcher Gang. But Henry was different. He’s a couple of years older than those guys, and I wasn’t much older than I look now. Henry and I spent time together for almost a year, and he was nice to me. I liked him, and I thought we were friends.”

“So, what happened?” Cuphead asked.

“He was here one day, then gone the next. He left Inkwell Isle, and I never heard from him again,” Bendy said. “He didn’t even say goodbye, and... some people once said that it was my fault.”

“Your fault? How?” Mugman asked.

“They said he got nervous being around a devil,” Bendy said. “So, he left to save himself,” He brushed himself. “But then I crossed Henry out of my life, and I never thought about him again. In my mind, Henry Stein is dead and buried,”

“But Bendy, he’s still alive, and he’s here, maybe you could talk to him,” Mugman suggested.

“And why would I want to talk to him?” Bendy asked.

“So you can have closure,”

“Closure!?” Bendy shouted. “I don’t need closure! He abandoned me just before Joey—!” his fur started to liquefy, and his hands were shaking. The little devil noticed this and took a few calming breaths before his fur solidified again. “I don’t want to talk about it anymore.” He said.

The cup boys had more questions, but they didn’t want to frustrate the little devil any further, so they didn’t ask him.

“It’s okay, Bendy,” Cuphead said as he walked closer to his friend. “If you say you’re done, you’re done. Now let’s get you some of that ink,” he held his hand out to Bendy.

Bendy looked back at Cuphead and smiled before taking his hand and walking with him.

As Mugman watched them, he felt like there was something different and weird about this. Moreover, he’s got this strange feeling like... he’s the third wheel.

Unfortunately for the three, finding enough ink for the little devil’s tail regrowth was harder than they thought. Porkrind’s Emporium was closed, so they went to the city to find a hardware store, but someone had just bought the last big bottle of ink.

Bendy groaned as they exited the store.

“It ain’t over yet, Bendy,” Cuphead said.

“Feels like it,” Bendy said.

“Don’t worry, it can’t get much worse than this, can it?” Cuphead said.

Just then, some invisible force pulled Bendy away from his friends. The little devil tried to fight it, but this pull wouldn’t let him go.

“You just had to ask!” Bendy shouted as his body shrank down, his cape fell off, and he was sucked into a bottle.

Charley pressed down the cork to seal it. “We got ‘em!” he yelled. He and the other gang members were hiding in a red car parked outside the store.

“You!” Cuphead yelled. “Give him back!”

“Not a chance, kid,” Charley said. “Barley, step on it!”

Barley was in the driver’s seat and stepped on the gas. The cups ran after them, but the car was too fast.

“We’ll never catch them on foot!” Mugman said.

“We gotta save Bendy,” Cuphead said.

Just then, Kettle’s truck pulled up next to them, but the kettle wasn’t there, Henry was at the wheel.

“Get in! Quick!” Henry said.

Cuphead and Mugman jumped into the truck, and Henry stepped on the gas pedal.

“Mr. Stein, what are you doing here?” Mugman asked.

“I’ll explain everything if you answer this question for me,” Henry said. “Do you know what Bendy is?”

“Yeah, he’s our friend, and he needs our help,” Cuphead said.

“That’s not what I-”

“I know what you meant, but shouldn’t you know too? You two knew each other thirty years ago before you ditched him!”

“Ditched him?! I didn’t-.”

“Mr. Stein, this is hardly the time for questioning,” Mugman said.

“You’re right. Just do as I say, and we’ll get Bendy back!” Henry said.

They found the Butcher Gang’s car and followed it out of town. Henry drove the truck up to the side. Once they got close, Cuphead and Mugman started throwing stuff at the gang.

Edgar stood up and used his many spider legs to try and block the stuff from hitting his gang. The cup threw a wrench, the spider missed it, and it hit Barley right on the back of the head. The sailor was knocked out, and the red car spun as it neared right over a waterfall. Charley managed to move his foot around and hit the brakes just before they reached the falls. Edgar, who was not wearing a seat belt, was propelled overhead and down the falls.

“Edgar!” Charley yelled. He jumped out of the car and looked over the falls, but the spider had vanished.

Henry jumped out of the truck, ran over to Charley, and punched him square in the jaw. Soon the two men broke into a fight cloud while Cuphead and Mugman watched.

“Get ‘em, Henry! Get ‘em!” Cuphead cheered.

“Give me the bottle!” Henry yelled.

“No way!” Charley yelled back. “I’m not letting this little creep get away from me again!”

“I’m not giving you a choice!” Henry yelled.

“Why the hell should you care? He’s just a demon!”

“He’s not just a demon. He’s my little devil!”

Henry kneed Charley in the stomach and the man lost his grip on the bottle.

Cuphead ran and grabbed the bottle. He tried to remove the cork, but it was stuck. He handed the bottle to Mugman, and he managed to open it immediately.

Bendy was poured and when his body reformed, he screamed in frustration. Without thinking, the little devil jumped into the fight cloud and started clawing at Charley. He scratched over Charley's left eye, which made the man scream.

Henry grabbed Bendy and backed away from the curled-up Charley.

“Let me at ‘em!” Bendy yelled, swiping his claws in the air. “I wanna claw his eye out!”

Henry kept Bendy in a tight hug. “Bendy, no, he’s not worth it,” the man said. He looked at Charley. “I suggest you leave or else I’ll let the little devil have his way with you after all.”

Charley growled before retreating to his car, with Barley just waking up and driving away.

Bendy scratched Henry’s arm, the man yelped in pain before he dropped the little devil.

“What was that for?” Henry asked.

“For letting them go!” Bendy snapped before going to the truck.

The drive back to the cottage was quiet... Uncomfortably so.

Bendy refused to even look at the man. Once they reached the cottage, the boys stepped out, but Henry stopped Bendy.

“Can we talk?” Henry said.

“I got nothin’ to say to you,” Bendy said, trying to walk away.

“Wait, Bendy,” Mugman said. “Maybe you should hear him out,”

“Bendy, I have to leave soon, and now I just really think we should talk before then,” Henry said.

“Oh, so now you announce you’re leaving. That’s new,” Bendy said. “Where was that thirty years ago?”

“Bendy, please,” Henry said.

“We’re... gonna go check on Elder Kettle,” Mugman said before he pulled Cuphead with him as he walked away to the cottage.

Bendy and Henry walked to the side of the truck that wasn’t facing the cottage and leaned against the truck.

Henry cleared his throat, “Bendy-”

“Why did you do it?” Bendy interjected.

“Do what?” Henry asked.

“You know what the hell I’m talking about. Why did you just disappear and never come back?”

“I didn’t want to, Bendy, but I didn’t have much of a choice. I was a young man, and the army was enlisting men like me into being a soldier for war.”

“The army?” Bendy asked.

“I would’ve told you myself, but you weren’t in the studio at the time.”

“Oh, so it’s my fault then?”

“No. None of it was your fault. I thought Audrey or even Joey would’ve told you,”

“Audrey may have mentioned it, but we never heard from you again, and Joey and Wilson, they said you... you left because of me. That you-” Bendy squeezed his eyes shut, and his fists shook. A black tear fell from the corner of his eye. Suddenly, a pair of arms wrapped around him, and the little devil stood there in shock.

“I don’t know what they told you, and you don’t have to tell me, but Bendy, my leaving was never because I was angry with you or scared of you. I had to leave for official reasons, and I guessed Joey never forgave me for that, so he lied to make me the bad guy in your eyes.”

Henry pulled back and looked at Bendy directly. He wiped away the tears on the little devil’s face.

“When I heard about the studio fire, I just somehow knew Joey had gone too far and could only pray that you, being a devil, had somehow survived.”

“You prayed for me?” Bendy asked.

“Yes. But I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. You’ve grown some,”

“Well, it happens. Even to the best of us,” Bendy joked.

Henry chuckled.

“Now that’s the little devil I know,” the man said. “I can’t imagine what you went through all those years ago or how you must’ve felt all this time. If I had known what could’ve happened, I never would’ve left. Bendy, I’m sorry. Can you forgive me?”

Bendy stuttered, looking uncertain. Henry placed a hand on Bendy’s shoulder.

“You don’t have to answer that right now,” Henry said. “It’s been a long time, and I’m sure you’ll need more time to think about it. Oh, I have something for you,” Henry went to the trunk and pulled out a large bottle with the word ink written on the sticker. “When you ran away from the cottage, I spotted your tail and noticed how short it was. I figured you needed more ink. So, I got the last bottle they had at the store. Think of it as a peace offering.”

The little devil took the bottle and looked up at the man.

“Thank you, Henry,” Bendy said before he opened the bottle. He drank the ink, and his tail grew back.

A While Later...

Henry waved at Elder Kettle, Cuphead, Mugman, and kitten Bendy before stepping into a cab. The driver took the man back to the docks.

“It was nice seeing an old friend again,” Kettle said before walking back into the cottage.

“Yeah, it was,” Bendy whispered to himself before he followed the kettle family into the cottage.

Chapter Text

In the Inkwell Forest, Cuphead and Mugman were running and gasping.

“Hurry, Mugsy!” Cuphead shouted.

“I’m running as fast as I can!” Mugman shouted back.

Bendy, on all fours, was running after the cups like an animal hunting its prey.

“He’s gaining on us!” Cuphead shouted.

The brothers screamed as they ran. They jumped over a bush, Bendy jumped, but his tail got caught on a branch, and he tripped on his face.

Cuphead chuckled but kept running.

“Look out!” Mugman shouted.

The cup boys stopped running as they neared the end of the cliff over a canyon and across the canyon is the city.

“It’s over! We’ll never get across!” Mugman said.

“Oh yes, we will! All thanks to my... homemade jetpack!” Cuphead said as he pulled out a yellow rocket behind his back.

“That’s a rocket, not a jetpack,” Mugman said.

“Same difference,” Cuphead said before tying a rope around Mugman. He tied them both to the rocket.

“Is this thing safe?” Mugman asked.

“Oh, Cuphead~!” Bendy yelled in a sing-song voice in the forest. “Where are you~?”

Cuphead gasped. “No time to worry about safety.” He said as he lit a match and used it to light the fuse to the rocket. “Five, four, three, two...”

SPLASH

Cuphead looked down and saw that Mugman had doused the fuse with his milk.

“Hey, what’s the big idea?” Cuphead asked.

“It was for your own safety,” Mugman said.

Before Cuphead could speak, a certain disguised devil jumped out and tackled the cup to the ground.

Bendy pressed a finger against Cuphead’s forehead. “Tag! You’re it,” he said.

The cup groaned before the little devil helped him back to his feet.

“Hope you’re happy now, Mugsy,” Cuphead said. “We could have won the game if you’d just let me use the jetpack.”

“You mean this rocket?” Bendy asked.

“Same difference,” Cuphead said.

“Well, excuse me for caring about you staying in one piece!” Mugman said.

“You’re one piece. A piece of work!” Cuphead said, pointing at his brother.

Mugman gasped.

“Oh, don’t act surprised!” Cuphead said. “You’re always finding something to whine about.”

“Well, you’re always jumping in without thinking!” Mugman said. “Someone’s gotta be the voice of reason!”

“Yes, sir! Officer Mugman of the fun police!” Cuphead said with a salute.

“Well! If I’m so awful, maybe you need a new brother.” Mugman said with a humph.

Cuphead gasped softly. “That’s a great idea!” he said.

“What?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, what?” Bendy asked.

“Sure! You’re overprotective and lame, so I’ll find another brother!” Cuphead said as he picked up the rocket.

“Well, fine! Who even needs you?” Mugman said.

“I certainly don’t need you. Good day!” Cuphead said before he walked away.

“That’s the cliff,” Bendy said before pulling the cup back with the handle.

“Right. I knew that.” Cuphead said. “I’ll go this way.”

Bendy walked after Cuphead.

“You’re going with him?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, he’s the one whose soul is in danger, not yours,” Bendy said. “You’ll be fine,”

Edgar woke up, his head was pounding, and his vision was blurry. He rubbed his eyes until his vision cleared up. The lower half of his body was in the river, while the upper half was on the shore. He slowly got up, feeling very sore.

“What happened?” Edgar asked. “How’d I get out here?”

The spider rubbed his head again and slowly started to remember being in a car chase out of the city by some random man driving a truck with the cups. Barley was at the wheel, and Charley had Bendy in another bottle. Suddenly the car stopped, and he was thrown off, flew over a cliff, and fell into the water. Edgar’s memory was foggy after that.

“Have I been here all night?” Edgar said as he looked up at the early-day sky. “I gotta find the guys. Maybe they’re wondering where I am,”

Downtown Inkwell, the shadiest part of the city known as ‘The Blot’, there was an abandoned dilapidating factory building where the Butcher Gang had made their hideout.

Charley was holding a hand mirror and was taking the big band-aid off over his left eye. Thankfully he could see, but there was some faint scarring where Bendy had scratched him.

“Little freak,” Charley muttered. “We almost had him,” he then noticed Barley chewing away on a sandwich. “We were so close,” he said.

Barley didn’t say a word.

“What?” Charley asked.

Barley didn’t answer.

“Okay, so we got beaten back a bit... and Ed’s missin’. But it’s not my fault,” Charley said.

Barley still hadn’t responded.

“What? You think this is my fault?” Charley asked angrily.

Barley put down his sandwich and swallowed.

“But let me tell ye why,” the sailor said. “We, bein’ me an’ Edgar, just wanted to be rich, powerful, an’ feared just like we always dreamed to be. Ye, ‘owever, seem to only want to waste that there foul little beast. The same one we agreed to forget about thirty years ago! But because of yer obsession, we be one man down! This here be entirely yer fault!”

“But that little-”

“I don’t want to ‘earrr it!” Barley interjected. “Either ye quit this here Bendy stuff, or I set sail from this here crew,”

“You wouldn’t,” Charley seethed. “You haven’t got the nerve!”

“Dare to try me, boss?”

The two stared at each other for a moment.

“Fine!” Charley shouted.

“Fine, what?” Barley said.

“Fine... I’ll quit this Bendy huntin’ thing. For a while.” Charley said.

“Charley,”

“I can’t give it up completely, but I’ll put it aside and we can just focus on being a gang. How’s that?”

Barley scratched his beard in thought. “That there be fine.” He said. “But what about Edgar?”

“I don’t know. We can search again later, but who knows.”

At that moment, Edgar walked up to the door and opened it. He stopped about halfway when he heard his name and he listened.

“Edgar was a good guy. But maybe too good.” Charley said.

“What do ye mean?” Barley said.

“You know what I’m talkin’ about, Barley. Edgar was too nice. He didn’t want to hurt those cup kids. He always whined about somethin’. He was a wimp,”

Edgar gasped softly.

“Yarr, ye ‘ave a point,” Barley said. “He was a bit lily-livered.”

The spider had heard enough, and, with trembling lips, he ran away out of the city and into the woods.

“But even so, ‘e be one o’ us,” Barley said. “We ‘ave to find ‘im.”

“Okay, let’s go,” Charley said.

Meanwhile...

Cuphead and Bendy were sitting on a bench in the city park.

“All right let’s find that new brother,” Cuphead said.

“So, who are you gonna pick?” Bendy asked. “What about one of them?”

The little devil in his kitten disguise pointed at the two spoon boys. They were laughing and flying kites.

“N’ah, I want one brother, not two,” Cuphead said.

“Alright, alright,” Bendy said.

They spotted two kitten brothers playing in the sandbox. Two elder gopher brothers playing checkers. And Ribby and Croaks playing on a seesaw.

“This might be harder than we thought,” Bendy said.

“Meh. All the brothers are already taken.” Cuphead said, crossing his arms.

“You know, I could be your new brother if you want,” Bendy said. “I’m plenty dangerous,”

Cuphead flinched and blushed. “Uh, n-no, you can’t be my brother,” he said quickly.

“Why not?” Bendy asked.

The cup’s eyes darted. “Be-because, you’re Bendy.” He said.

“Yeah... And?”

“And? Um. As Bendy, you already have important roles. As the protector slash friend, and so much more. You don’t need to be my brother too.”

“Maybe you’re right. It’s already a lot of work being your protector slash friend. Also, I don’t think my dad would approve of his most wanted fugitive being my brother,”

Cuphead chuckled nervously and fanned himself with his hand until the blush was gone. “His most wanted?” the cup asked.

“Didn’t I show this yet?” Bendy said as he pulled out the wanted poster for Cuphead.

“Wanted by the Devil. Is that it?” Cuphead said.

“What?” Bendy asked.

“I thought there be a reward or somethin’,”

“Oh, that’s there,”

“Where?”

Bendy pulled out a magnifying glass, and it revealed a very, very, very tiny print at the bottom of the paper.

“Reward: 10 bucks,” Cuphead read. “That’s it!? He’s offering ten bucks for my soul! That is- I mean-!” he hmphed.

Bendy tried to suppress a laugh bubbling in his throat.

Cuphead glared at him.

“Hey, don’t worry about it, my dad has always been cheap when it comes to rewards,” Bendy said. He pocketed the poster behind his back and cleared his throat. “Let’s get back to the brother thing,”

“Right, right. I need a brother. But not just anyone can fit the build. I want someone dangerous and won’t whine about safety.”

RING RING

Someone rushed past Cuphead and Bendy on a tricycle. They moved so fast that you couldn’t see who it was, and they did some crazy stunts.

“Who is that kid?” Cuphead asked, dazzled by what he saw. He ran after the kid on the tricycle. “Hey, kid!”

“Cuphead, wait!” Bendy said, following the cup.

Bendy pushed the spoon brothers out of the way.

“Where’d he go?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy and Cuphead looked left and then right. Then they saw Bowlboy in front of them on a tricycle.

“Looking for someone, Cuphead?” Bowlboy asked.

“Ugh. Get out of here, Bowlboy!” Cuphead said, pushing the bowl away. “We’re looking for that kid that was doing all those crazy stunts!”

Bowlboy giggled, “Then look no further.” He said while riding the tricycle on one foot.

“Wait, that was you?” Cuphead asked in surprise.

Bendy seemed surprised too.

“That’s right,” Bowlboy said. He jumped off the tricycle and used a crossbow with rope to zip into a tree.

“I had no idea you were such a—” Cuphead said.

“Loose cannon?” Bowlboy said, swinging from the tree.

“That’s my favorite kind of cannon!” the cup said.

“Wanna get silly... with a bowl?” the bowl said.

“Do I?” Cuphead said excitedly.

“Do you?” Bendy asked Cuphead.

Bowlboy landed on the ground. “One thing you gotta know first. Bowlboy’s all~ways got a few tricks up his sleeve.”

Cuphead opened his mouth to speak, but Bendy slapped his hand over the cup’s mouth.

“Give us a sec,” Bendy said before pulling Cuphead away from Bowlboy. “We need to tell this kid to get lost and find someone else,” he whispered.

“Why? He’s great. He’s just what we’re looking for,” Cuphead whispered.

“I don’t know, Cuphead, I’m getting major creeps from this kid.”

They looked back at the bowl who smiled at them and waved at them with his fingers.

“Well, it’s Bowlboy, he’s always been weird... and annoying. But right now, he’s looking really reckless. You saw those stunts,”

“Just because he’s got a few tricks on a trike and a crossbow doesn’t make him dangerous,”

“You think so?” Bowlboy whispered.

The kitten and cup yelped when they noticed the bowl had snuck up on them.

“Well, check this out,” Bowlboy said. He spun his head around and when he turned it back around, he somehow got eight lit dynamite sticks into his mouth.

Cuphead screamed.

“Spit ‘em out!” Bendy yelled.

Bowlboy spat out the dynamite, and they ended up in Cuphead’s hands. Bendy grabbed them and threw them away. The dynamite blew up, and the explosion made the other brothers in the park fly away.

“Whoops,” Bendy said.

“You almost killed me!” Cuphead yelled at Bowlboy. “You are irresponsible, careless, and simply unhinged!”

Bowlboy simply smiled back.

Cuphead then dropped to his knees. “Be my new brother!” he begged.

Bendy face-palmed himself.

At the Kettle Cottage, Mugman was sitting alone on the couch and frowning. He looked up at the cuckoo clock just before the little wooden bird came out and chirped.

CU-COO CU-COO CU-COO

“Huh. Three o’clock, and not a single contusion.” Mugman said as he checked his body. He smiled, “This might not be so bad after all.” He sat back and started reading a book.

Later...

Meanwhile, Cuphead, Bendy, and Bowlboy went around the city doing all kinds of dangerous stuff. Tied themselves to anchors and threw them into the sea, rode the hood of speeding trolleys, and ate chili with the hottest of hot sauces at Chili Jims.

When Cuphead and Bendy went to the Kettle Cottage, they found Mugman fast asleep on the couch with the book over his face. The cup and kitten smirked. Bendy tiptoed to the couch, slowly lifted one side of it, and started shaking it.

“Earthquake!” Cuphead screamed with a smile on his face. “Mugsy, get down! Get down now!”

Mugman, half awake, rolled off the couch and landed with a thud before rolling himself under the couch. After he shook his head and woke up, he noticed the ground wasn’t moving, and the other boys were snickering.

“You two lousy-” Mugman cursed under his breath before he rolled out and got back on his feet.

Bendy dropped the couch. “So, you bored already, Mugsy?” he asked.

Cuphead walked into the kitchen.

“Bored? What makes you say that?” Mugman asked the kitten.

“You wanted to play it safe and ended up napping on the couch in the middle of the day,” Bendy said.

“I wasn’t bored. I was just... relaxing. Which isn’t boring. It’s nice,” Mugman said defensively.

“Uh-huh, sure,” Bendy said.

“Well, I bet you guys aren’t having much luck finding a new brother,” Mugman said.

“Actually, Mugman, I already did find a new brother!” Cuphead said as he threw things around in the kitchen.

“You did?” the mug asked.

“He did,” Bendy said.

“Hey, where do we keep the gunpowder?” Cuphead asked Mugman.

“Between the flour and sugar, where it’s always been.”

“Thanks, pal,” Cuphead said before going to the shelves. “There you are.” He pushed the flour and sugar jars away, they shattered on the ground, and he grabbed the two bags of gunpowder. “Bendy, grab a bag,”

Bendy grabbed one of the bags.

“So, uh, is Bendy your new brother?”

“I offered, but he said no,” Bendy said.

“N-no,” Cuphead said. “I just said that he’s already got a lot on his plate. Besides, it’d be weird,”

“Why would Bendy being your brother be weird?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, why would it?” Bendy asked.

The cup started to sweat because he wasn’t ready to tell them the truth.

“Uh... Oh, look at the time!” Cuphead said nervously. “C’mon Bendy, my new, more exciting brother is waiting for us,” he grabbed the kitten’s hand, and they walked out the door with the bags. “Well, see ya later, Mughead.” Cuphead and Bendy walked away.

Mugman gasped sadly before he sniffled. “Well, who even needs a brother?!” he yelled before slamming the door.

A vehicle approached the cottage and stopped.

Mugman looked outside, saw the mail truck, and gasped with a smile before running back to the kitchen.

The pencil mailman, also known as Dixon, was about to put some letters in the mailbox, but Mugman blocked it with his face. His nose squeaked from the letters pressed against it.

“Special delivery,” Mugman said. “For you this time. It’s a pie.” He was holding a pie and wearing an apron over his usual clothes.

“No, thank you. Here’s your mail.” Dixon said as he stuck the letters into the pie. He was about to walk away, but Mugman pulled on his letter satchel.

“Wait, wait! Stay a while!” Mugman suggested.

“I need to deliver the mail.” Dixon insisted as he pulled his bag back.

“What you need is a new brother,” Mugman said. “Just listen to how good this sounds. Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman.”

As Mugman continued, Dixon took a chance and quietly escaped back to his truck. Without looking back, he started the engine and drove away from the cottage. He drove a few feet... before he noticed Mugman sitting in the passenger seat.

“Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman. Mail—”

Dixon stopped the truck, kicked the mug out, and then drove away.

Mugman rolled deeper into the woods before he stopped under a big tree. He sighed sadly.

“This might be harder than I thought.” He said aloud. “Why did I have to suggest he find a new brother? Now Cuphead’s having a great time with his new brother and Bendy.” He got on his feet and brushed off the dirt from his apron.

He didn’t notice the large six-legged shadow looming over his head.

“So, what if I’m not all that dangerous? I don’t care what they say. I don’t need them!” Mugman sighed before he sniffled. “But gee, it’s sure upsetting being all alone,”

“I know the feeling,” said a voice overhead.

Mugman stiffened before slowly turning his head upward and saw Edgar hanging above him.

“Don’t freak out,” Edgar said.

Mugman screamed and ran, but the spider shot him with webbing and dragged him back.

“No, no, no, no, no!” the mug cried out as he was pulled up the tree.

After a little struggle, Edgar wrapped Mugman in a cocoon and placed him on his web. Only Mugman’s head was exposed, everything from the neck down was bound in the tightly knitted cocoon.

“I told you not to freak out,” Edgar said.

“You won’t get away with this,” Mugman said as he struggled but he couldn’t even move a finger. “My friends will come looking for me any second now, and you know Bendy won’t be merciful,”

“I ain’t worried about that yet. You just said Cuphead and Bendy we’re having fun with a new brother, right?” Edgar said.

“Um, well, I mean, technically, yes,” Mugman muttered.

“Thought so,” Edgar said. “Which means I got all the time in the world to do whatever I want to you,”

Mugman shook. “Just you? But what about the others?”

Edgar hesitated. “They-... they... UGH!” he shouted before pacing on the web.

The mug watched the spider pace with a mixture of fear and curiosity. “Do you... want to talk about what’s bothering you?” he asked slowly.

“No!” Edgar snapped, not pausing his pacing.

“Okay, okay,” Mugman said. After a few seconds of watching Edgar, the mug spoke again. “You know, I’ve sometimes wondered. How come spiders don’t get stuck in their own webs?”

Edgar finally stopped pacing. “Oh, that’s easy,” he said. “We can spin sticky thread and non-sticky thread. Like that cocoon you’re in, non-sticky, just the webbing it’s stuck to. And some of my leg hair keeps me from getting stuck.”

“Huh, I had no idea,” Mugman said.

“Yeah, you just gotta be-” The spider eyed the mug suspiciously. “Careful,”

“Just asking,” Mugman said meekly.

“Which one are you again?” Edgar asked. “Mug-something,”

“Mugman,”

“Right.” The spider said, backing away. “So, your brother traded you for a new one? That is what you said before, right?”

“Yes,”

“I’m probably being replaced too-! Forget I said that!” he yelled.

“No can do,” Mugman said.

Edgar growled.

“You. Replaced? But why?” Mugman asked.

Edgar hesitated. “The guys think I’m too soft. I didn’t want to kill you kids like them, and I whine too much. I overheard them say all that. I mean, I’m used to them saying stuff like to my face, but it hits differently that they thought that while I’m not around.”

“Actually, my brother said something like that right to my face. Not the killing stuff, but the whining, yes. So, he found a dangerous, more exciting brother.”

“That’s rough,”

The two were silent for a moment.

‘He’s a criminal and scary looking, but he really isn’t as mean as Charley or that sailor. At least for the moment.’ Mugman thought. ’Maybe he just needs a new friend, or maybe...’ then the mug had an idea.

“What was your name again?” Mugman asked.

“I’m Edgar,” the spider answered.

“Tell me how this sounds to you. Mugman, Edgar. Edgar, Mugman. Mugman, Edgar. Edgar, Mugman.”

A While Later...

Cuphead, Bendy, and Bowlboy were walking towards the cottage when they heard laughter coming from the backyard. They recognized Mugman’s laughter but not the other.

“Mugman?” Cuphead called out.

They heard gasping and shuffling before Mugman stepped out from behind the cottage.

“Oh, hey, fellas, I was just-” Mugman said but stopped when he noticed the bowl standing between Cuphead and Bendy. “What’s he doing here?” he asked, pointing at Bowlboy.

“Him? You mean Cuphead’s new brother?” Bendy answered.

Mugman’s eyes went wide from shock. “Bowlboy?” he said. His shock then became angry. “Your new brother is Bowlboy?!”

“Yeah. Bowlboy’s up for anything, and he’s always got a few tricks up his sleeve.” Cuphead said.

“I’m a wild little bowl,” Bowlboy said.

“Anyway, we just came to grab a few things,” Cuphead said.

Cuphead and Mugman stepped away to get the wagon while Bendy stayed with Mugman.

“Yeah, and what are you up to Mugman?” Bendy asked.

“Me? I was just doing stuff with my new brother,” Mugman answered.

“You found a brother too?” Bendy asked, “Neat. Where is he?”

“Back here. But you can’t see him yet,”

“Why?” Bendy asked.

“He’s- He’s shy.”

Bendy crossed his arms. “And what sort of stuff were you doing with this shy brother?” he asked.

“Telling jokes and talking about spinning,” Mugman said.

“Spinning?” Cuphead asked after he and Bowlboy came back with more gunpowder in the wagon.

“Like spinning thread. Sewing. Knitting,”

“Bleh! Sounds boring. Sounds perfect for you, though,” Cuphead said. “Come on, Bowlsy, we got a jetpack to make.” Cuphead and Bowlboy laughed as they walked away with the red wagon.

“Mugman,” Bendy said, “I know you’re mad at Cuphead, but we’re good, right?”

“Sure we are,” Mugman said.

“Okay, so you know you can tell me stuff. Like with this new brother of yours...”

“Bendy, I’m fine. He’s alright. Just trust me,” Mugman said. “And, not that I care, but please make sure Cuphead doesn’t get shattered.”

“Alright,” Bendy shrugged. He patted Mugman’s shoulder, “I’ll see you late- Eww,” he pulled his hand back, and something sticky stuck to his glove. “What is this?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not sure.” Mugman lied.

Bendy looked at the mug questioningly. “Right. See ya, Mugsy,” he said. He ran after Cuphead. “Hey Cup, wait up!” he yelled.

“Phew,” Mugman said.

“Are they gone?” Edgar asked from hiding in a bush.

“Yepp,” Mugman said, walking back behind the cottage. “So, you can spin a web, but can you knit too.”

“Oh, you were serious about that?”

At the cliff overlooking the canyon, Cuphead and Bowlboy were building a big, red rocket. Bendy was inspecting the sticky stuff on his glove.

“Hey, Cuphead,” Bowlboy said as he was filling the rocket with gunpowder. “Try this on for size. Cuphead, Bowlboy. Bowlboy, Cuphead. I like how that sounds.”

“What’re you thinking about?” Cuphead asked Bendy.

“Huh?” Bendy asked.

“You’ve been kinda quiet and staring at that stuff on your glove. What is it?”

“It looks like spider webbing. I got it off Mugman’s shoulder,”

“He probably just walked into a cobweb earlier,” Cuphead said with a shrug.

“Maybe, but it’s not just that. He was acting kinda shifty back there. Didn’t you notice?”

“Not really,”

A band-aid fell off the rocket, and gunpowder spilled out. Cuphead plugged the hole back up.

“Uh, Bowlboy, you sure this thing’s safe?” Bendy asked.

“Well, well, well! What happened to not being too worried about stuff?” Bowlboy said.

“I just think-”

“Just think about it this way, Bendy,” Bowlboy said, wrapping an arm around the kitten. “Boring old Mugman would never do anything this crazy.”

“You got two seconds to remove your hand, or I bite it off,” Bendy said warningly.

Bowlboy quickly pulled his hand back and backed away.

“Whoa, buddy, no need to be like that,” Cuphead said.

Bendy pinched his brow before looking at Cuphead again.

“Sorry, sorry,” Bendy said. “I just can’t shake this feeling that something’s wrong. I gotta check on Mugman again,” he started walking away.

“But what about the rocket?” Cuphead said.

“Just don’t use it till I get back,” Bendy said before he ran away.

Cuphead was about to follow Bendy, but Bowlboy grabbed the cup’s wrists.

“Hey, where you going?” Bowlboy asked.

“I mean, if Bendy’s so sure that something’s wrong, then maybe I should go with him,” Cuphead said.

“Bendy’s just being paranoid,” Bowlboy said. “Besides, we got a rocket to finish,”

“But Bendy said-”

“Bendy said not to use the rocket, he didn’t say we shouldn’t finish building it. He’ll be back, and when he does, we can all fly together,”

“Hmm. That does sound pretty good.”

“Mm-hmm.”

Meanwhile...

Mugman and Edgar were knitting with knitting thread and needles.

“I haven’t done this in years,” Edgar said.

“Really?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah, they don’t really let have knitting needles in prison,”

“Oh, right,” Mugman said with a nervous chuckle. “Done,” Mugman said. He presented two blue mittens.

“Oh, neat,” Edgar said. He resumed knitting. “Almost... done,” he presented a dark yellow scarf.

“Wow, you even got the tassels on it, impressive,”

“Thanks,”

“Here, I want you to have these,” Mugman said, handing the mittens to Edgar.

“You’re giving these to me?” Edgar asked.

“Yes,” Mugman said.

Edgar took the mittens, then, after a thought, he handed the scarf to Mugman.

“Then I want you to have this,” Edgar said.

“Thank you,” Mugman said, taking the scarf. “This is nice, right?”

“Isn’t it, I wasn’t too sure about the pattern at first,”

“No, I mean this. Just two people doing something nice and not dangerous like flying on rockets or... I don’t know, robbing a bank.”

“Oh, I wished I could’ve robbed a bank. But n’ah. Lately, all Charley wants to do is capture Bendy and kill him,”

Mugman pocketed the scarf and grabbed another ball of yarn. “If I may ask, why does Charley hate Bendy so much anyway? Does it have something to do with that studio fire?”

Edgar stared at the mug. “He never told you?” he asked.

“Bendy doesn’t want to talk about it,”

The spider debated in his head for a minute before he spoke.

“It started on the streets of the city when Charley, Barley, and I were just teenagers. We didn’t do any big-time crimes back then, mostly stole stuff, but we planned to become the most feared and wealthy gang ever. We had a hideout and stole food every day. It wasn’t easy but we got along fine. But everything changed when we met him.”

“Him as in Bendy?” Mugman asked.

“Yeah,” Edgar answered. “We saw him one time on the streets, and I guess he liked us. Then he wanted to join the gang. We laughed about it and then tried to get rid of him but then we kinda let him hang out with us, but he wasn’t really one of us. I don’t know why but it turned out he just wanted to break up the gang from the inside. His plan didn’t work but Charley wanted to beat him up for trying anyway, but he escaped us. Charley really wanted to get back at Bendy, so we planned to burn down the studio.”

“Why the studio though?” Mugman asked.

“Because he worked there. Now let me finish!”

“Sorry,”

“Anyway... that night, we snuck around and splashed gasoline all over the building. Before we lit the match, we all saw something, or someone jump out a window from the studio. We couldn’t see exactly who but Charley’s sure it was Bendy. We ignored it and Charley was pulling out the match when BOOM! The studio just blew up. We ran away but the cops found us a few days later. Turns out there were people inside when the building burned down... We didn’t know. But no one believed us. Charley was sure Bendy ratted us out to the cops and even framed us. We were sent to the slammer after that with no chance of parole.”

“So you did plan to burn the studio, but someone else beat you to it?” Mugman asked.

“Pretty much,” Edgar said. “Charley still thinks Bendy set us up, but he won’t admit it.”

“Maybe because Bendy didn’t do it,” Mugman said.

“Well Charley will never stop believin’ it and he’ll never stop trying to get Bendy. And what Charley wants goes.”

“Do you always do what Charley wants?”

“Yeah, he’s the boss.”

“But if you’re not in the gang, you don’t have to do what he wants. Now you can do what you want. Within reason, of course,”

Edgar’s eyes widened. “You’re right,” he said. “I don’t have to do what Charley wants.”

“Yeah,”

“If he or Barley don’t want me in the gang, then fine. I don’t need to be dangerous,”

“Yeah,”

“I’m gonna go back and tell them!” Edgar got on his feet and walked away.

“Yeah— what!?” Mugman shouted.

“I’ll see ya later, Mugsy!” Edgar shouted as he ran.

“Edgar, wait!” Mugman shouted as he ran after the spider.

At that moment, Bendy was outside the cottage. He was about to knock when he spotted Edgar running away. He gasped.

“Edgar,” Bendy said. Then he saw Mugman chasing after Edgar. “Mugman?” the kitten rubbed his eyes, thinking he was seeing things, but when he looked again, it was the same sight. “What the hell is he doing?” he wondered. “I gotta get Cuphead,”

Back at the cliff, Bowlboy had just finished tying the rope around Cuphead and himself. Now they were firmly tied to the rocket.

“Is there enough space for Bendy when he gets back?” Cuphead asked.

“Sure, sure,” Bowlboy said. “But I was just thinking,”

“Yeah?”

“Maybe we can do this stunt without him,”

“But he’s been doing all these stunts with us all day.”

“I know, but he’s starting to feel like a third wheel to me. And, just between you and me, I think we’d be better without him.”

“Whoa, Bendy is my friend, and I’m pretty sure I’d be dead a long time ago if it weren’t for him. My brother would never have a problem with Bendy hanging out with us.”

“Well, I’m your brother now. And I just want us brothers to have one dangerous stunt together without that cat dragging- I mean, tagging along. Now, enough talk, let’s jet.”

Bowlboy lit a match with his cheek, but Cuphead blew it out.

“Brother or not, I’m not doing another stunt with you unless Bendy is with us, and that’s that,” Cuphead said firmly.

Bowlboy’s right eye twitched a little, and he chuckled.

“Is that right?” the bowl asked with a smile.

“Y-yes!” Cuphead said, trying to mask his nervousness.

“Cuphead, I don’t want us to fight, I just want us to be the best brothers. I want that so much, I did all these crazy stunts for the first time just for you,”

“Wait, really? You’ve been irresponsible, careless, and simply unhinged all day just so you could be my brother?”

“Oh, it’s more than that. I also want to learn from you, Cuphead, and be just like you, Cuphead, and become you, Cuphead!” Bowlboy’s eyes were red at this point.

Cuphead was stunned. “What was that last part?” he asked.

“Nothing,” Bowlboy said before lighting another match.

“Cuphead!” Bendy cried out as he ran towards them. “We got a problem! Mugman-! Whoa, what are you doing?”

“Bendy, get me out of here!” Cuphead said urgently.

“What?”

“You were right all along! Bowlboy’s a creepy nutjob! Get me out of here!”

Bendy didn’t miss a beat and was pulling the rope.

“Wait, Cuphead,” Bowlboy pleaded.

“We don’t have time to wait,” Bendy said firmly. “Mugman is in trouble!”

“He is?” Cuphead asked. “Then we got to save him,”

But Bowlboy just tightened the rope, making Cuphead grunt, Bendy’s hands were now trapped under the rope.

“What are you doing?” Bendy asked, looking at Bowlboy.

“I’m doing this dangerous stunt with my brother Cuphead,” Bowlboy said as he lit another match. “And there’s nothing you can do about it.”

Bendy narrowed his eyes, pulled his hands out of the rope, and shook his fingers to get the feeling back.

“Cuphead, close your eyes,” Bendy said.

Cuphead did as he was told, and soon, he heard punching, grunting, yelping, and then a sharp crack. He opened his eyes again as Bendy pulled him out of the rope and held him bridal style. He saw that Bowlboy now had a black eye and a crack on his face.

“I thought we were brothers,” Bowlboy said.

“He’s already got a brother, and you got a flight to catch,” Bendy said. He spat, but his spit was on fire, and when it hit the fuse, it burned in seconds.

WOOSH

The rocket flew off with Bowlboy straight up into the sky.

“Ooo,” Cuphead said. “Where do you think he’ll fly to?”

“Hopefully into space,” Bendy answered. “Now let’s go save Mugman!” the kitten ran with Cuphead in his arms.

At the old factory, Barley and Charley had just returned from searching for Edgar with no success.

“Anything?” Charley said.

“Nay, not a sign o’ ‘im,” Barley said.

“Ugh, where is he!” Charley said.

SLAM

Barley and Charley nearly jumped out of their skins when a door burst open.

“Hello, fellas!” Edgar said angrily. He marched up to the men. “Don’t talk! Just shut up and listen, Charley! I have had it with your Bendy obsession and for you always talking down on me! You can’t kick me out of the butcher gang cause I’m kicking myself out. What do you think about that!”

Charley and Barley were too stunned to speak... or listen because Charley just started yelling.

“Where the hell have you been? We’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“Oh really?! Cause last I heard, I was too nice and wimpy and lily-lived to be in the gang!”

“Ye ‘eard what we said?” Barley asked.

“Yeah! And if that’s how you feel, then I’m leaving the gang!”

Charley and Barley glanced at each other before the boss smiled slyly at the spider.

“Too bad because we’ve been talking about robbin’ that bank on 3rd street,” Charley said.

Edgar looked surprised. “Y-you have? No! You’re just messing with me,” he said.

“‘E means it, matey!” Barley said, “But we’ll need ye to make it ‘appen,”

“You’re serious?” Edgar asked.

“You can even grab the first money bag,” Charley said.

Edgar’s eyes flashed with dollar signs.

“Wait, Edgar!” Mugman shouted.

The men looked in the direction of the door and spotted Mugman.

“Don’t do it!” Mugman shouted.

“What’s he doing here?” Charley questioned.

“You don’t have to do what Charley says, remember?” Mugman pleaded. “You don’t have to be a bad guy,”

Edgar looked back at the gang and then back at Mugman.

“I know I don’t have to be bad, but I want to be bad,” Edgar said.

Charley and Barley closed in on Mugman and grabbed him. Just then, Bendy jumped on Barley and started scratching and hissing like an angry cat. Mugman was dropped as the two men fought the little devil in a fight cloud.

“Mugsy!” Cuphead whispered.

“Cuphead!” Mugman said happily, running to his brother.

They hid behind a box and watched as Edgar jumped in and the fight cloud got bigger. Bendy was thrown out of the cloud, and he crashed against the wall. He fell onto the floor... and lay unconscious on the floor.

“Bendy!” Cuphead and Mugman screamed.

Charley walked up to Bendy.

“Boss, remember what we talked about!” Barley said. “No more Bendy ‘untin’,”

“I know... but he’s right here,” Charley said. “It would take an act of god to save him now,”

Hardly had the man finished his sentence when they heard a high-pitched whistle.

“What’s that?” Edgar asked.

A maniacal laugh was coming from above.

Everyone slowly looked up and saw it from the open ceiling. The big red rocket, with a cracked cackling Bowlboy, flew straight toward them. It crashed down and then—

BOOM

Hours Later...

At the Inkwell hospital, Cuphead and Mugman were lying on hospital beds in full body casts. Bendy was sitting on the side of the cup’s bed and had only one band-aid on his forehead. He was signing his name on Cuphead’s arm with some ink on his finger.

“And... there,” Bendy said. “Bendy was here!”

Mugman sighed sadly.

“Maybe it’s good you can’t pick your families at birth because you two have lousy taste in brothers,” Bendy pointed at Cuphead. “You picked a careless, dangerous nutcase. And you,” he pointed at Mugman, “Edgar? A member of the Butcher Gang? What were you thinking?”

“I couldn’t help it. I sympathized with him. I thought we had stuff in common. I just thought... he needed a better brother than Charley and Barley. But as soon as he went back to them, he was back to being bad.”

Bendy sighed. “Don’t worry about it Mugman. Maybe you two had a moment but Edgar, Charley, and Barley have been friends forever. That won’t change in a day, and neither will any of those guys unless that’s what they want.”

“That’s very insightful,” Mugman said. “Thanks. But I can’t shake the fact that all this was my fault. If I hadn’t suggested we find new brothers, none of this would’ve happened.”

“I’m glad it happened,” Cuphead said.

“Huh?” Mugman said.

“What?” Bendy asked. “We blew up a building, The Butcher Gang disappeared, and you fellas got hurt.”

“I didn’t say I liked everything that happened, but all this made me realize that Mugman, you’re more than just my brother, you’re my best friend, and that’s how it’s always gonna be.”

The brothers looked back at each other, smiling.

“Oh, gee, Cuphead,” Mugman said. “That’s real nice. I’d hug you if my spine wasn’t shattered.”

“Same here, Mugsy,” Cuphead said. “I also learned that if Bendy says someone’s a creep, I should listen,”

“Yeah, I’ve dealt with my fair share of creeps,” Bendy said. “Let’s also agree to avoid the “other brothers” like the plague.”

“Agreed,” Cuphead and Mugman said.

A silhouette of a man came to the curtain surrounding the boys. “Hello, boys. It’s your...” the curtains were pulled back to reveal Bowlboy wearing a doctor’s coat and a head mirror. “...doctor!”

“Bowlboy!” The boys said.

“That’s Dr. Bowlboy to you.” He said before he pulled out a syringe from his coat sleeve. “And I’ve always got a few tricks up my sleeve.” He laughed maniacally as he approached the boys.

Chapter Text

At the Kettle Cottage, Cuphead and Mugman were walking into their bedroom and the mug was mad.

“Gee Mugsy, I’m sorry I dropped that lit firecracker down your pants,” Cuphead said. “In my defense, I thought you’d think it was funny.”

“Yeah, hilarious,” Mugman said with sarcasm. He sat on his bed and instantly regretted it after feeling the sting on his bum where the firecracker burned.

Cuphead winced. “Ouch,” he said.

“After all this trauma, I think I deserve a little treat,” Mugman said, smiling.

“Ooh! A treat?” Cuphead said with interest.

“Yeah. A treat for me.” Mugman clarified. “Now turn around and don’t look. Well, go ahead and turn around.”

“But why?” Cuphead asked.

“Just do it!” Mugman shouted.

Cuphead turned around and walked across the room. Mugman then crawled under the bed and dug around. Cuphead looked back and saw Mugman pull out a jack-o-lantern bag and place it on the bed.

Cuphead’s jaw dropped. “Wait a minute, you still have Halloween candy?” he asked.

“I said don’t look!” Mugman said.

“It’s September! How could you possibly not eat your candy for that long?” Cuphead’s fists shook.

“It’s called self-control,” Mugman said as he picked a single piece of candy from the bag.

“Never heard of it,” Cuphead said, crossing his arms.

“It’s for people who don’t give in to every temptation,” Mugman said as he slipped the candy bag back under the bed before he walked out of the room. “You ought to try it sometime.” He closed the door.

In the kitchen, Mugman placed the candy on a plate, cut it carefully, and ate it like it was fine dining.

Meanwhile, upstairs, Cuphead couldn’t help but think about the candy bag under the bed. In his mind, the bag was beckoning him.

“C’mon Cuphead... you know want candy...” the Jack-O-Lantern said.

“Mmmm. I know I want some but it’s Mugman’s candy...” Cuphead said.

“But Cuphead, it’s all very good candy... and there’s so many in me, Mugman probably won’t even notice if you take one or two...”

“Well, maybe just one...”

Cuphead reached for the jack-o-lantern, intending to take one candy, but instead, he just flipped the bag upside down and let the candy fall into his screaming mouth. His eyes spun with red, white, and pink spirals.

“Mm! Mm-mm-mm!” Mugman hummed as he took a bite of the chocolate treat.

Cuphead wasn’t just eating the candy now, he was munching wildly like a starving animal.

Mugman hummed melodically as he walked to his room, but after he opened the door, he gasped.

The cup was still ripping the wrappers off the candy with his teeth when-...

“Cuphead!” Mugman yelled.

“Huh?” Cuphead said, snapping out of his candy craze.

“You ate my candy!?”

Cuphead gasped when he saw the torn wrappers in his hands and smelled the chocolate. He looked up at Mugman.

“I’ll make it up to you! I’ll do anything!” The cup pleaded.

“Anything?” Mugman asked, crossing his arms.

“Anything!”

Mugman took Cuphead to the front door and threw him out.

“Get out!” Mugman yelled.

Cuphead groaned after he landed.

“And don’t come back until you learn some self-control!” Mugman yelled before he closed the door.

Cuphead walked away from the cottage. His head hung low with a sad look on his face as he walked into the forest and kicked a pinecone.

“Psst, Cuphead,” came a familiar voice. “Cuphead.”

The cup looked around but didn’t see anyone.

“Whose there?” Cuphead asked.

Suddenly, he felt something brushing against his arm. He turned around and saw a large bush... with yellow eyes looking back at him.

“Cuphead,” the bush whispered.

“Bendy? Is that you?” Cuphead asked.

“Shhh!” Bendy hushed the cup before pulling him into the fake bush. “You’ll blow my cover,”

“Your cover?” Cuphead whispered.

“Yeah, now tell me, did you see anything or anyone around here?” Bendy asked.

“Like what?”

“Demons, monsters, my dad. Anyone at all?”

“No,” Cuphead said, shaking his head. “I didn’t see anyone,”

“Are you positive?” Bendy whispered urgingly.

“Yes!” Cuphead softly yelled.

Bendy sighed. “Good.” He said. “Wait, where’s Mugman?” he asked.

“Don’t worry about him, he’s back at the cottage,” Cuphead said. “And mad at me,”

“You’re kidding. What happened this time?”

“I ate all of Mugman’s candy. He said I had no self-control and threw me out of the cottage,”

“Really?” Bendy asked. “Sooner than I thought,” he muttered.

“What was that?” Cuphead asked.

“I said he really did that?” Bendy lied.

“Yeah. So why are we hiding in a bush?”

“I did something stupid,”

“Like what?”

Bendy began to explain.

FLASHBACK

Bendy was walking down a hallway and was about to pass the kitchen but stopped when he spotted it. In the kitchen, two devil imps were putting away devil’s food cake on a silver platter. All that chocolate and whipped cream made Bendy’s salivate. The imps placed it on the counter. The little devil was about to walk inside.

“Uh, hey Little Boss,” Henchman said, walking towards Bendy.

“Oh hi, Henchman,” Bendy said, stopping in his tracks.

“Lunch is almost ready,” Henchman said.

“Great, I’m itchin’ for a burger,”

“Uh, actually, you’ll be having something else. Boss’s orders.”

“What did he order?”

“Grilled fish and steamed broccoli,”

Bendy gaged. “I think I’d rather eat warty frogs,”

“Ah c’mon, it’s good for you,” Henchman said.

“HENCHMAN!” The Devil called out.

“We better get going,” Henchman said.

“You go ahead. I just gotta use the restroom first,” Bendy said.

“Okay. Meet us in the dining room,”

Henchman started walking away and Bendy was about to step into the kitchen.

“Little Boss, don’t even think about eating some of that cake,” Henchman said. “It’s your father’s,”

“Henchman, I wouldn’t dream of doing that,” Bendy said.

“Bendall, you know what your father will do if you take a bite out of his cake,” Henchman warned.

“I’m not crazy enough to eat his cake... or keep him waiting,”

“HENCHMAN!” the Devil called out.

The purple demon ran off.

Bendy walked into the kitchen, grabbed a chair, and dragged it to the counter.

“I’m not crazy enough to take a bite out of the cake,” Bendy said. He stepped on the chair and took off the glass cloche. “but there’s no harm in a quick lick, right? Right,”

Bendy closed his eyes and stretched out his tongue, intending to take a small lick, but his tongue stretched so much that it wrapped around the entire cake. His face and head split in half and the opening became a monstrous mouth with sharp and he swallowed it in one gulp. The little devil’s head melted back to normal and sighed before he realized what he’d just done.

“Uh oh,” Bendy said.

END OF FLASHBACK

“And then I ran away,” Bendy concluded.

“Hmmm. Was it good cake?” Cuphead asked.

“So good!” Bendy sighed. “I guess if Mugman’s staying at the cottage, it’ll just be the two of us today,”

Cuphead’s eyes widen. “Just the two of us,” he whispered. A light blush came over his face.

Then Bendy gasped and covered his face.

“What’s the matter?” Cuphead asked, the blush fading.

“I was in such a rush that I forgot to put my cat disguise on.” Bendy took out an inkwell from behind his back. “I can draw a nose on real quick,”

Cuphead put his hand over the inkwell. “You don’t have to do that with me, remember?” the cup said. “I like your normal look,”

“Oh yeah,” Bendy said before putting the inkwell away. “But what if we’re seen together?”

“Eh, I ain’t too worried about it. And if anyone’s gotta problem with us I’m pretty sure you can scare them off,”

Bendy chuckled. “You’re a weird cup,” he said.

“I’m weird?”

“Hell yeah,” Bendy said. “But it’s why I like you,”

Cuphead’s eyes brighten. “You like me?” he asked.

“Sure, you’re weird but a lot of fun at times and you’re not scared of me. You and Mugman are the first real friends I’ve had in a long time. I can’t thank you enough for that.”

The two were silent for a while but then the little devil chuckled nervously.

“I’m sorry, I don’t know why I said all that,” Bendy said.

“N-no. It’s fine,” Cuphead said. Then he cleared his throat. “I like you too, Bendy. You’re amazing. But I sometimes, I feel–”

“Shh! Did you hear that?” Bendy whispered covering Cuphead’s mouth.

There was a rumbling sound outside.

“I knew it, someone’s out there,” Bendy whispered.

“Let me have a look,” Cuphead whispered before peeking through the leaves. He saw something big rolling among the trees. “What’s that?” Cuphead whispered. He crawled out of the bush.

“Don’t,” Bendy yelled softly, he grabbed Cuphead’s ankle.

The cup looked around and gasped when he saw a giant peppermint rolling by.

“So beautiful,” Cuphead said.

Bendy crawled out of the bush as the peppermint rolled away.

“What’s so beautiful?” Bendy asked. “Cuphead?”

“Huh?” Cuphead said in a daze.

“I said what’s so—...” Bendy said but stopped midsentence when the peppermint came back and rolled around them. “beautiful...”

The peppermint spun around them over and over, making the boys dizzy, until it rolled away slowly.

“Hey... where are you going?” Bendy said in a daze.

Cuphead and Bendy followed the peppermint as if in a trance even as it rolled into a tall hole in a tree. They walked into the hole in the tree. It was pitch black at first but then they walked into a blinding light. Once their eyes adjusted, they were met by an unbelievable site.

They had stepped into a land made entirely of candy. But not just candy, there was also cake, ice cream cones, cupcakes, cotton candy clouds in the sky, and chocolate fountains.

The boys looked around with wide eyes and their mouths hung agape.

A gentle fantastical music played as they walked down the candy road.

“La-la-la-la-la ~” 

“Welcome to this land of sugar ~ Everything is simply grand ~”

“Everything is super yummy ~ In this place called Sugarland ~”

“La-la la-la, la-la la-la...~”

“What is this place?” Cuphead wondered.

“I have no idea, but it smells great,” Bendy said.

A feminine giggle can be heard.

“Didn’t you hear the song? It’s Sugarland.” Came a female voice. The boys turned around and saw something pink jump out of the pink cake castle.

It was a skinny woman with pink skin, blue eyes, and curled maroon hair. She was wearing a red and white striped top with a dark pink skirt that reached the floor, white gloves, and an ice cream cone hat with a white fluffy feather. And she was holding a long candy cane.

“My name is Baroness Von Bon Bon, and today is your lucky day.” She said walking towards the boys. “You get to eat all the sweet treats you desire.”

The boys just stared at the woman for a second before the little devil broke the silence.

“Yeah, this is a trap,” Bendy said, grabbing the cup’s hand.

“Goodbye, lady,” Cuphead said.

The boys turned around and walked hand in hand away from the baroness.

“Wait, where are you two going?” Baroness asked, walking after them. “I just offered you all the sweet treats you desire. Ain’t you gonna eat my sweets?”

“I don’t think so, lady,” Cuphead said.

“Yeah, we’re not that stupid,” Bendy said. “You want us to eat candy till we’re plump, and then you’ll shove us in an oven.”

“You just wanna eat us,” Cuphead concluded.

“This is funny. You’re funny, funny kids.” Baroness said before laughing.

Bendy stopped walking and looked right at the woman.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you don’t eat kids,” Bendy said.

The Baroness leaned down and looked the little devil right in the eye.

“I’m a baroness and I don’t eat little children. I only eat sweet treats.” She pulled out a cupcake, kissed it, and then ate it.

Bendy flickered his tongue for a moment before backing away.

“What do you think?” Cuphead whispered.

“She looked me in the eye and all I can smell on her is sugar,” Bendy said. “She seems to be telling the truth,”

“Oh! Well, in that case, I’m sorry for the misjudgment, The Baroness.” Cuphead said.

“Oh please. We’re friends now. Call me The.” She said. She giggled before walking around the candy. “Now, I gotta say, I admire how you both resisted my very tempting offer. Most disgusting children just can’t resist.” She laughed.

“You got a real creepy way about you, lady,” Cuphead said.

“I don’t get out much. In fact, I can’t leave Sugarland on account of an ancient curse. But that’s a story for another time.”

“Why would anyone want to leave this place?” Cuphead asked.

“Yeah, it’s amazing,” Bendy said.

“Exactly,” Baroness said.

“And we can really eat all the candy we want?” Bendy asked.

“That’s right,” Baroness said.

“And there’s no weird catch?” Bendy asked.

“Well...” Baroness trailed off.

“I knew it! What is it?” Bendy asked.

“It’s not a catch. There are just three simple rules that you must never break. Rule number one! Tell no one about Sugarland. Rule number two! Never steal any of the sweets outside of Sugarland. And rule number three! Eat all the candy you desire, just not my candy castle. Not even a teensy-weensy bite.”

“That’s it?” Bendy asked.

“That’s it,” Baroness said.

Bendy hummed.

“Perhaps, some chocolate can convince you?” Baroness said, presenting him with a small bonbon in her palm.

The little devil tentatively plucked the bonbon from the baroness and took a bite. He was hit with the amazing taste on his tongue, so he quickly finished the candy, ran off, ripped a gumdrop from the ground, and started eating.

“Baroness, I take back everything I thought about ya’,” Bendy said between bites.

“Aw, thank you,” Baroness said before turning her attention to Cuphead, “And how about you?”

“There’s so many tasty stuff here, I don’t know where to start,” Cuphead answered.

“Take your time, just remember rule three,”

“Don’t worry I won’t touch your castle,”

“Oh, I’m not worried. Even if you might find it...” Then she whispered. “...irresistible.”

Cuphead looked at the sparkling pink sugar castle.

“It is a tasty-looking castle.” The cup said.

“I’ll just turn my back in case you want to sneak a bite or pocket some candy,” Baroness said.

“Maybe just a teensy-weensy bite,” Cuphead said, his eyes spinning with red, pink, and white hypnotic rings.

The baroness was smiling behind him.

“Wait!” the cup’s eyes returned to normal before he shook his head. “No teensy-weensy. We gotta go! Bendy!”

Bendy was stuffing his face with candy, his eyes were spinning with red, pink, and white rings, when Cuphead wrapped his arms around him and pulled him back.

“C’mon Bendy, we gotta go!” Cuphead said. “See ya lady,” he said before running for the exit.

Baroness didn’t try to stop them. “They’ll be back. Toodle-oo.” She said before laughing menacingly.

Cuphead was panting while running and holding Bendy.

“Let me go! I need more candy!” the little devil yelled.

Cuphead tried to put some distance between them and the tree before Bendy wriggled out of his hold. Bendy tried to run back for the tree but Cuphead managed to catch him and tackle him to the ground.

“Bendy, you gotta snap out of it!” Cuphead yelled as he shook Bendy’s shoulders.

The little devil was still in a trance and snarled at the cup.

“Sorry about this buddy,” Cuphead said. He raised his hand and slapped Bendy across the face.

Bendy’s head spun before it slowed and snapped back into place. His yellow eyes were back to normal.

“Ow! What the- Ow!” Bendy yelled as he held his swollen cheek.

“Sorry Bendy, but I had to wake you up somehow,” Cuphead said before backing away.

“Wake me up from what?” Bendy asked while rubbing his cheek.

“I think you were in one of those trance things. You ate the candy, and you wouldn’t stop.”

“Candy? So, that Sugarland place was real? I wasn’t just dreaming?”

“Wipe your lips,”

Bendy wiped his lips, purple candy residue now smeared on his glove. He gasped and wiped the stuff on the grass beneath him.

“You ate so much sugar and it made you crazy,” Cuphead said. “But we’re fine now and we got outta there before we broke any of her rules.”

Bendy froze and his eyes went wide with worry.

“What?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy pulled out a lollipop from behind his back.

“Oh. Well, that’s not so-” Cuphead said but stopped as soon as Bendy pulled out a big candy cane, a big peppermint, some giant chocolate bonbons, and a giant half-eaten gumdrop. “Oh boy,”

“Maybe she won’t notice?” Bendy shrugged nervously.

“And if she does?” Cuphead wondered worriedly.

The two looked worried but then Bendy froze. “We don’t have to worry about it,” he said smiling.

“What do you mean?” Cuphead asked.

“Think about it. She can’t leave Sugarland, right? And she doesn’t eat kids. I’ll just be careful and avoid the baroness next time,”

“Hmm, makes sense to me,” Cuphead said. “Wait, you’d want to go back there?”

“It’s a world made entirely out of candy, what do you think,” Bendy pocketed all the candy he took. “It was really good. What did you eat?” he asked.

“I had...” Cuphead said but then he gasped. “Wait, I didn’t eat any candy. I did that self-control thing Mugman was talking about. He’s gonna be so proud of me! C’mon!”

Cuphead and Bendy ran to the cottage. They rushed up the stairs and then the cup kicked the door open with the little devil behind him.

“Hey, Mugsy, I didn’t eat any candy,” Cuphead said excitedly. “The temptation was strong, but I— Ooh! You’re still upset, huh?” he asked.

Mugman was sitting on the bed with a frown on his face.

“Of course, I’m still upset and will be until you replace what you stole!”

“That won’t be an issue,” Bendy said. He slipped something in Cuphead’s hand behind his back. “Go on Cuphead, give him some candy,” he said, pushing the cup forward.

“That candy was supposed to last me until next Halloween,” Mugman said. “If you think some candy is going to replace the supply you ate, you-” he stopped talking when Cuphead handed him a giant chocolate bonbon.

“I’m sorry, you were saying,” Cuphead said smiling smugly.

Mugman stuttered. “This can’t be real, this thing is bigger than my jack-o-lantern.” He said.

“Try it if you don’t believe it,” Bendy said, crossing his arms and smiling.

Mugman squinted his eyes and took a small bite of the chocolate without breaking eye contact. His eyes went when the chocolate taste hit his tongue.

“Oh my gosh,” the mug said before taking a bigger bite of the chocolate.

“Believe it now?” Bendy asked.

Mugman nodded. “This is delicious,” he said before finishing the chocolate.

“And that’s just one piece. See, Bendy and I found this land where everything’s made of— Ooph,”

Bendy elbowed Cuphead’s side and cleared his throat.

“Rule number one, remember,” Bendy whispered.

Cuphead could hear the baroness’s voice echo in his mind.

“Rule number one, tell no one about Sugarland.”

Cuphead whimpered and covered his mouth.

“What? A land made of what?” Mugman asked.

“Uh...” Cuphead chuckles nervously. “The Baroness did say not to tell you.”

“But we tell each other everything,” Mugman said.

“Mugman, trust us, this has to be something just between me and Cuphead,” Bendy said.

“Oh, just between you and Cuphead, huh,” Mugman said with a glare. “Well, that ain’t gonna work this time. I’m not letting this go until you tell me what you’re hiding,”

Bendy’s eyes glowed with a reddish orange hue, and he growled. Mugman gulped and shrank under the little devil’s gaze.

“Wait, wait, wait, Mugsy, I’ll tell you,” Cuphead said.

“But Cuphead—” Bendy said.

“We don’t have to worry about the baroness, remember?” Cuphead said. “Mugman, if I told you there was a place where everything’s made of candy, would you wanna go there?”

“Of course, I’d want to,” Mugman said. “Wait, who’s the Baroness?”

“A creepy lady we need to avoid,” Bendy said.

“But we won’t be avoiding her candy!” Cuphead said.

“Wait, you two expect me to believe that there’s a whole world made of...”

Bendy and Cuphead took Mugman to Sugarland.

“Candy!” Mugman yelled in excitement. He started shivering seeing all the sweets.

“Now do you forgive me?” Cuphead asked with a smile.

Mugman nodded. “Uh-huh. Uh-huh.”

“Well boys, this candy ain’t gonna eat itself,” Bendy said.

“Welcome to this land of sugar~ Welcome to this land of sweets. ~”

“Where the streets are lined with goodies, In this land of tasty treats. ~” 

Cuphead, Bendy, and Mugman dove off a frosting cliff and ate their way down. They ate peppermint trees down to the roots.

“Have a stick of sugar candy~ Fill your mouth with sugar balls. ~”

“Have a little or a lot~ Better yet, try them all. ~”

The boys jumped and swam in the hot fudge springs. They swallowed giant bonbons, chaw breakers, and gumballs whole.

“Welcome to this land of sugar ~ Everything is simply grand ~”

“Everything is super yummy ~ In this place called Sugarland! ~”

The boys walked on the candy road, looking stuffed and intoxicated with all the sugar they ate.

“Oh, mama,” Cuphead said.

“This definitely beats fish and broccoli by a landslide,” Bendy said slurring.

“I don’t know what you mean by that but I’ll— ...take your word for it,” Mugman said with a hiccup and then laughed.

“We should probably go before the Baroness shows up,” Cuphead said slurring.

Bendy started chuckling. “Yeah cause...” Bendy said slurring. “You broke rule number one. I broke rule number two. And Mugman’s breaking rule number three right now.” He laughed.

Cuphead and Bendy gasped. Mugman had taken a big bite out of the pink castle.

“Mugman, no!” Cuphead yelled. “Don’t eat the castle!”

“It was only teensy-weensy.” Mugman said.

The Baroness laughed from the top of her castle. The boys looked up and saw her.

“Now all three of you broke a rule,” Baroness said. “Naughty, naughty!” she teased.

“The Baroness!” Cuphead said nervously.

“Hmm. She doesn’t seem so creepy.” Mugman said.

Baroness started laughing hysterically.

“Oh. Yeah, I see it now.” Mugman said.

“Let me guess, you suddenly changed your mind and now you’re gonna eat us. Right?” Bendy said.

“Blech! For the last time, I don’t eat disgusting children. Only sweet treats.” Baroness said.

The boys sighed.

POP

“Cuphead, what happened to your straw?” Mugman shouted.

Cuphead and Bendy gasped. The cup’s straw looked like a red gummy worm.

“My straw!” Cuphead said. Then his arms and hands turned into gummy candy as well. “My arms! Bendy, Mugman, help me!”

“How about you help me instead!” Bendy yelled. His fur and face change into different shades of brown. His limbs were now stuck to his body and his yellow eyes and bowtie became glossy. He had become a solid dark chocolate devil.

“Don’t look at me,” Mugman said as his body slowly coated with gingerbread and frosting, and gumdrops decorated his body. “I said, don’t look at me!” he was now a gingerbread Mugman.

Cuphead popped into a fully formed gummy cup.

The three boys screamed.

Baroness giggled. “Now you’re delicious!” she said. Her eyes were now red, and her teeth were razor sharp.

The boys screamed again.

The woman laughed menacingly as her castle suddenly turned into a monster. The castle roared and screeched as it lifted its hands and reached for the boys.

The boys screamed as they hopped away but the castle just chased after them.

“Hey, look! It’s the way out!” Cuphead yelled.

The boys could see the tree that leads to the forest.

“We won’t make it with the castle on our tail!” Bendy yelled.

The castle roared again. Just then, the giant peppermint rolled up next to the boys.

“I got an idea!” Cuphead yelled.

The gummy cup managed to push the gingerbread Mugman and chocolate Bendy onto the peppermint. And then jumped on it. The candy boys were stuck to the peppermint candy.

“We’re getting out of here!” Mugman yelled.

Cuphead laughed before blowing a raspberry at the baroness. Bendy put a rude expression on his face.

All three boys laughed as the peppermint rolled away from the castle towards the exit tree. It managed to outrun the castle and rolled closer to the tree. But as it rolled through the exit, the boys got stuck against the tree hole. They slid off and landed on the ground. Cuphead and Bendy hopped into the tree hole.

“We’re gonna make it!” Cuphead yelled. “Come on!”

“C’mon Mugman!” Bendy said. “Mugman? Mugman!”

Cuphead and Bendy stopped and saw gingerbread Mugman flat on the ground. Unable to get up.

“Cuphead. Bendy. Leave me. Save yourselves.” Mugman said.

“Oh, okay,” Cuphead said before hopping away.

“Cuphead!” Mugman and Bendy yelled.

“Alright, alright. I’m coming back.” Cuphead said.

The Baroness laughed, “I’m coming to get you, boys!” she yelled. Her castle roared as it came closer.

“Quick, grab my hand!” Cuphead said urgently.

“I can’t reach!” Mugman cried out.

Baroness laughed maniacally and her castle roared as they got closer.

“Almost there!” Cuphead said, pushing Mugman up.

“It’s working!” Mugman said before falling on his face.

“Aw, nuts,” Cuphead said.

“Here, try it again,” Bendy said.

The castle jumped and roared. Cuphead and Bendy just managed to help Mugman up when the castle came down. When it landed, a wave of frosting emerged from the ground, and it pushed the candy boys out through the exit.

“Aw, licorice sticks! They escaped?” Baroness yelled. She exclaimed angrily. “They looked so tasty. But they’ll be back. They always come back.” she laughed menacingly.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy were riding the huge wave of frosting but then a boulder split the wave in half. Cuphead and Mugman rode one wave and Bendy rode the other.

“Okay, I guess this is where we split, see you fellas later!” Bendy shouted as his wave flowed away.

“See ya, Bendy!” Cuphead and Mugman shouted.

Meanwhile...

Down in the Underworld, The Devil was sitting on his throne, writing down some paperwork when Henchman flew towards him.

“Anything?” The big devil said.

“Uh, I’ve checked all the usual places at least twice, but I can’t find the prince anywhere,” Henchman said.

“I don’t get it. Where has Bendall disappeared to? I just hope he hasn’t gotten into any trouble.”

Hardly had The Devil finished when the ground started shaking and the wave of frosting flowed down the stairs and towards the throne. The Devil spotted something brown riding the wave, screaming, and flying towards him. He used his pitchfork to stop the thing from hitting him.

The thing groaned.

The big devil used telekinesis to turn it around and saw a familiar face and eyes molded in the chocolate.

“Bendall?” The Devil said in shock.

Bendy laughed nervously. “Nice catch Dad,” he said.

Cuphead and Mugman’s wave somehow managed to take them right into their bedroom at the Kettle Cottage.

“Ha! We sure showed her!” Cuphead said.

“Except we’re still candy,” Mugman said.

“Oh, right,” Cuphead said. “Eh, I ain’t too worried about it. Now that the Baroness is gone, we don’t have to worry about being eaten.”

The boys seemed confident that they were safe now... that feeling died down when they heard heavy breathing and slurping. It was Elder Kettle with a candy-entranced look in his eyes as he looked at the boys.

“Just a teensy-weensy—” Kettle sighed.

“Elder Kettle, no!” Cuphead and Mugman yelled.

They spend much of their night avoiding Kettle.

And as for our favorite little devil? Bendy was taken to the Freezer, the only cold place in the Underworld, so his chocolate body wouldn’t melt. The Devil was wearing a large fur coat. Bendy told his father all about Sugarland and the baroness who turned naughty kids into candy to eat them.

“Fascinating. I’ve heard rumors about this place, but I thought it was just a myth.” The Devil said. Then he sighed. “At least you managed to escape and all on your own too.”

“That’s right.” Bendy lied. “So, does this mean I’m off the hook about the cake?”

The Devil couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Well, I was going to ground you, but I hope getting turned into candy and nearly getting devoured by a monster candy castle has taught you a lesson?”

“Oh, it has Dad. Really, it has,” Bendy said.

“Good, but if you really want to make it up to me, you’ll have to run a little errand for me.” The Devil said with a grin.

“Sure, Dad, what is it?”

“I’ll tell you right after dinner. Ah, here it comes now,” The Devil said. Henchman flew into the room with a serving tray and on the tray was a pile of broccoli. “Thank you, Henchman. With all that sugar you ate son, some vegetables might do you some good,”

“You’ve gotta be kidding?” The little devil asked. He flinched when he saw the serious look in his father’s eyes. “I mean, I would if I could, but I can’t use my arms.”

“Oh that won’t be an issue,” The big devil picked up a fork, stabbed a broccoli with it, and moved it towards Bendy. “Train or plane?” he asked.

Bendy groaned. “Train,” he answered.

“Chuga, Chuga, chew, chew,” The Devil said. “Here comes the train. Open the tunnel.”

Bendy grumbled before eating the broccoli.

“Everything is simply grand ~ Everything is super yummy ~ In this place called Sugarland ~”

Chapter Text

“This is Lenard Lemming with today’s morning news. Last night, the Invisible Bandit struck again. This time stealing four sacks of money from the vaults of Inkwell’s National Bank. The police are at a dead end by the fact that this fiend is somehow able to steal without leaving any evidence or being seen by anyone.

In other bizarre news, dock workers have received shocking messages from boats at sea for the last few days. A trail of skeletons from random marine animals, mainly fish, and even sharks, have been found floating in the waters. What’s most strange is that when the bones were recovered, they were black as pitch and a trail of them seemed to lead from the forbidden seas towards Inkwell Isle. Researchers suggest that something is eating these creatures down to the bone. They have yet to disclose any suggestions of danger at this time.

In lighter news, the grand opening of Arch Gate Pictures is scheduled for tomorrow. After thirty years in business limbo, the old animation studio will reopen, and the new owner promises new cartoons for the big screen to delight children and adults.

Last but certainly not least, her Highness Queen Rumor Honeybottoms is throwing the annual “Autumn Gala” tonight at the Honeycomb Herald. The only time the queen allows anyone other than worker bees to enter the building. The most elite party of the year and the most guarded. What with threats such as the Invisible Bandit and the Butcher Gang, precautions have been made and, in this reporter’s humble opinion, it is not unwarranted.”

It was a beautiful day in Inkwell City and a certain chalice girl was coming out of hiding. And just in time too because there was another dance contest today at the community dance hall. This particular contest was extra special though because the winner was going to perform for Queen Rumor Honeybottoms’ Gala in the Honeycomb Herald tonight. Chalice was not going to pass the opportunity like this.

Chalice and some other contestants were waiting in the backroom. She looked at her competition and judging by the fearful sweat on their faces, this was gonna be a snap. Just then a familiar black kitten entered the room.

“Bendy?” Chalice asked.

Bendy, in his kitten disguise, turned his head and smiled. “Toots!” he said as he walked towards her. “What’re you doing here?” he asked.

“I’m here for the contest,” Chalice said.

“Hmm. You sure you wanna do that Toots? There’s gonna be cops buzzing all over the gala,”

“Oh don’t worry about me, Kitty. I got a plan.” Chalice said. She pulled out a short black wig to hide her handles and a little hat to hide her straw. “Just call me Carrie.”

“Not bad,” Bendy said.

“So is it just you or are the boys here too?”

Bendy flinched. “Don’t talk to me about those two. Not a word,” he said crossing his arms.

“Ohh, trouble with-”

“I said Not. A. Word,” Bendy said coldly.

“Whoa. Okay sorry.” Chalice said. She held her hands up and took a step back. “Not a word,”

Bendy took a calming breath. “Anyway. I’m here to win this contest. So you might as well pack up your dance shoes and skedaddle,” he said.

Chalice chuckled. “I’m not going anywhere, except to that party. That prize is mine,”

“No, it’s mine,” Bendy said.

“It’s mine,” Chalice argued.

“Mine!” Bendy argued back.

“Mine!”

“Mine!”

“Up next; Miss Carrie. Miss Carrie,” A large paintbrush man said holding a clipboard.

Chalice gave Bendy a smug look before walking passed him to the stage. Chalice, or Carrie, stepped on the stage. There was a crowd and three judges. A human woman, a large male vulture, and a large female hippo.

The band started playing and the chalice girl gave the judges her top tap dancing and signature charm to the upbeat music. At the end of the dance, the judges and audience cheered and clapped.

The judges gave her tens across the board.

Some of the other contestants left seeing that but Bendy wasn’t turning back.

“Up next; Bendy Scratch. Bendy Scratch,” said the paintbrush man.

Bendy confidently walked on stage after Chalice left the stage. The band played the music for “Too Marvelous for Words” and Bendy danced a combo of the Charleston and the jitterbug and the crowd loved it. Especially an old, black Billy goat with long horns and red eyes in the front row. He was wearing a trench coat.

At the end of Bendy’s dance, the judges and audience cheered and clapped.

The judges gave him tens across the board.

The rest of the competition left after that, leaving only Bendy and Chalice left. The judges consulted this until they made their decision.

The vulture judge stood forward. “After much consideration, we have made a decision.” He said. “We declare Bendy Scratch the winner of this contest.”

The audience applauded and Bendy smiled and waved.

Chalice, meanwhile, walked off the stage with her head held high but deep down kinda sour that she lost but smiled slyly. Miss Chalice was no one trick pony, there’s always a plan B. She changed into her ghost and phased outside to the back of the building. Just then she heard a door open and voices. She stealthily followed the voices and around the corner, she saw the old Billy goat and the vulture. The goat handed a big bag that jingled with the sound of coins and a dollar sign on the bag to the vulture.

“Pleasure doing business for you sir.” The vulture said before leaving with the bag.

Bendy came out the door, glanced at the vulture, and walked up to the goat.

“I don’t get it, Dad,” Bendy said. “Why have me in the contest at all if you were just gonna do that?”

“Because it was the easiest way to get you in the Herald. And, I wanted to see my little prince dance on stage,” the goat scratches under Bendy’s chin with his hoof.

Bendy blushed with embarrassment but he smiled a little.

“Now, you remember the rest of the plan?” The disguised Devil asked after he stopped scratching.

“Yes Dad,” Bendy said. “I get in and get the goods,”

“Excellent.”

Chalice backed away and gasped. “Those two rotten cheaters!” she scoffed. She thought for a moment. “But what did they mean by ‘the goods’? Hmmm.” Color Miss Chalice intrigued.

Later...

Bendy was taken to a limousine waiting outside by a bee man named Bee Blunt. They got into the limousine before it drove away.

“When presented to Her Majesty Honeybottoms, you will bow and address her as “your Highness”. And only speak when spoken to,” Blunt instructed.

“You got it, Blunty,” Bendy said.

“That’s Mr. Blunt, young man,”

“Whatever you say, Mr. B,”

Blunt cleared his throat. “We shall be at Honeycomb Herald promptly.” He said.

Both the bee and kitten were unaware of the invisible ghost chalice sitting in the car with them.

“Say, Mr. B, as the winner, will I get to sample the food at the party?” Bendy asked.

“Well, food and drink will be provided for the entertainment staff, which will include you, so yes,” Blunt said.

“Would that also include the honey reserve?”

Blunt gave a snooty chuckle. “That is not only humorous but impossible,” he said. “The honey reserve is for the bee staff only. And the best of it goes directly to the queen.”

“Really? All the best honey goes to the queen?” Bendy asked. “I heard that some honey barrels are sealed away for years.”

“That is mostly true,” Blunt said. “Around this time of year, the best honey will be collected and taken to a vault to be sealed through the winter. By spring, the queen will dine on the best honey,”

“Oh, and this vault would be…?” Bendy asked.

“No place you need to go to. You perform on the stage and will not damage anything, or you’ll be severely punished. Understand?”

“Yes sir,” Bendy said with a mocking salute before he rested against his seat.

‘Is Bendy after the honey? If he is I should get in on this. But what does he have planned?’ Chalice thought. She looked at the kitten, ‘No harm taking a little peek,’ Chalice thought. The ghost chalice was still pretty new to possession, but she figured taking over the kitten should be a snap. With that in mind, she flew into Bendy’s body.

Possession of a person meant going into their minds, not just their heads. She’d go in, soothe the soul within, and then take the wheel. When Chalice flew into Bendy’s mind, she found only darkness.

“Huh, where’s the wheel?” Chalice wondered. She saw a red glow in the shape of a Bendy with a steering wheel. “Oh, here we go,” she flew over.

Just as she was about to reach the spirit, an iron gate blocked her way and then something grabbed her.

Chalice yelped.

“THAT IS NOT FOR YOU TOUCH!”

A chilling voice boomed all around Chalice. She noticed the thing holding her was a hand. It was giant, inky, and monstrous. She looked up and saw Bendy’s face and head shape but with glowing reddish-orange eyes and sharp teeth stretched into a devious smile. The monster looked down at Chalice with hunger in its eyes.

“HELLO MISS CHALICE,”

Chalice gasped.

“I WONDER IF YOU TASTE AS GOOD AS YOU DANCE. LET’S FIND OUT!”

The demon monster opened its jaw, but Chalice managed to wriggle free and fly away.

Meanwhile outside, Bendy sat there frozen, his eyes glowing blue but as soon as Chalice flew out, his eyes returned to normal. He shook his head.

“What was that?” Bendy wondered as he scratched his head.

‘What was that!?’ Chalice wondered as she shook. She’d never seen anything like that in someone’s head.

“Here we are, sir,” Blunt said.

Bendy and Blunt got out of the car and entered the Herald Honeycomb. Chalice silently and invisibly followed them. Once inside, the three took an elevator to the top floor. Inside was a huge room filled with people. It was an elegant gala with people in beautiful clothes, fine food, a dance floor, and servant bees buzzing around offering drinks and appetizers.

Blunt took Bendy directly to the queen.

Rumor Honeybottoms was twice or even three times the size of any of the other bees. She had red lips, a round yellow nose, and a yellow and peach-colored muzzle. She was wearing a black and yellow striped bell-shaped dress with white trim at the end of it, a black ribbon belt around her waist, and long, black sleeves with yellow cuffs. She was also wearing a pair of generic white gloves and a gold crown on her head.

The butler bowed as he and Bendy approached the queen.

“Your highness, I have brought the contest winner,” Blunt said.

“Ah, yes.” Rumor said. “So, this year’s winner is a kitten. How quaint. At least it’s dressed for the party. Does it have a name?”

“I am Bendall Scratch, Your Highness,” Bendy said with a bow and smile. “But folks call me Bendy,”

“You impertinent little creature!” Rumor said angrily. She struck the ground with her staff. “Did I give you permission to speak!?” there was silence for a moment. She took a breath when she noticed the crowd looking at her. “Excuse my outburst. But you will do well not to speak to me unless spoken to. Understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness,” Bendy said.

“Be prepared to dance in ten minutes and if I’m impressed you can stay for the party but if I’m not impressed, you’ll be thrown out on the street,”

“Yes, your highness,” Bendy said before backing away.

Blunt took Bendy behind the stage.

“I warned you not to speak unless you were spoken to,” Blunt whispered to the kitten.

Meanwhile, jewelry and wallets were being taken from the partygoers and disappeared without a trace.

Blunt left Bendy alone in an empty dressing room so he could get ready.

The kitten was checking his reflection in the mirror when he heard a familiar voice.

“Hello, Bendy...”

Bendy turned around and saw an angry chalice girl.

“Chalice? What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I know you and your dad rigged the contest! I saw and heard ya both,” Chalice said.

“You heard us?” Bendy asked visibly growing nervous. “How much did you hear?”

“I heard enough! And I know you’re after the honey reserve. And I just wanna let ya know... that I want in,”

Bendy blinked a few times. “You... want in?” he asked.

“You heard me, I want some of that honey too. Normally I would get stuff on my own, but I thought we could work together on this one. What do you say?”

“No,”

“Swell, we–... did you just say no?” Chalice asked.

“You heard me. This is something I need to do alone.” Bendy said.

“Alone, huh? Like with the dance contest?”

Bendy sighed.

“Also, your dad’s a goat?” Chalice asked.

“Yes. A goat whose gonna ground my butt for the next decade if I mess this up and don’t get that honey.”

“What does any of that have to do with me?” Chalice asked.

“Sorry toots, but you can be a bit distracting and the last thing I need is a distraction,” Bendy said. He left the room to go to the stage.

Chalice was about to leave when Bendy suddenly ran back to the room and closed the door behind him. The chalice crossed her arms.

“What’s wrong with you now?” she asked.

“Nothin’,” Bendy said and, after some hesitation, he ran out again.

Chalice followed the kitten.

Bendy ran to the stage, parted the curtain a little, and looked around the crowd. When the ghost chalice was behind him, he whispered. “You see those two bees over there?”

“Which bees? We’re in a beehive!” Chalice shouted softly.

“Those two,” Bendy shouted softly. He pointed to two bees close to the front of the stage.

It’s Officer Bee Frank and the Bee Warden of the Slammer.

“I know those guys and if they see me, they might recognize me,” Bendy whispered.

“Who are they?” Chalice asked.

“The older looking one is the prison warden and the guy next to him works there too,” Bendy explained. “Let’s just say the warden definitely wouldn’t be happy to see me again.”

“Gotcha’,” Chalice said. Then she smirked. “Seems like ya need a little distraction then?”

“What’re you—... Oh, no. No way!” Bendy said. “Get your own honey somewhere else. That reserve is mine!”

“No way. I want the really good stuff,”

“Then why don’t you find it and go?”

“I don’t know how to get it outta here, but I bet you do. All I’m askin’ for is a percentage,”

“How much of a percentage?”

“I’m thinking a ninety-ten split,”

“Oh, that’s oddly generous.”

“Ya take the ten, I’ll take the ninety,”

“I don’t think so! You get five,”

“Seventy-five,”

“Ten,”

“Sixty-five,”

“Fifteen,”

Trumpets blew and a bee stepped onto the stage.

“The competition winner’s dance is about to begin in two minutes,” the man bee said.

“Look at that, your fans are gettin’ closer,” Chalice whispered.

“Darn it!” Bendy shouted softly. “Okay, okay, twenty-five percent. Final offer.”

“Deal!” Chalice said.

They shook hands.

“Now get ‘em outta here!” Bendy shouted softly.

“Fine,” Chalice said. The ghost chalice went through the floor, back up behind Frank, and then possessed him. She used the bee officer to grab the warden and fly off.

“Frank? Frank! Put me down this minute!” The Warden shouted. “Frank!”

As they flew out of sight, Bendy took the stage and the band played the music for “Too Marvelous for Words”. This time Bendy sang the song.

“You’re just too marvelous

Too marvelous for words

Like “glorious”, “glamorous”

And that old standby “amorous”

It’s all too wonderful

I’ll never find the words

That say enough, tell enough

I mean they just aren’t swell enough ~”

Chalice, possessing Frank, took the Warden to a broom closet. They got inside, the ghost chalice flew out and locked the door from the outside. She could hear the bees yelling inside.

“So long fellas,” Chalice said before flying away.

Meanwhile, the people loved Bendy’s song and dance.

“You’re much too much

And just too very, very

Too ever be in Webster’s dictionary

And so I’m borrowing

A lovesong from the birds

To tell you that you’re marvelous

Too marvelous for words ~”

Chalice was flying back to the main room but stopped when something shiny caught her eye. A door was cracked open, and she saw shuffling inside. Curious, the chalice girl peeked inside and saw a woman.

She was as pale as snow with fluffy, white hair. She had a small nose, full black lips, and dark blue eyes. Two strands of her hair were curled to the sides like horns. She was wearing a sleeveless striped top and black pants with big boots. She was admiring the jewelry in her hands.

“Well, this has been fun,” the woman said to herself. A hint of a Jersey accent in her voice. “But it’s time to go to work,” she pocketed the jewelry. Her blue eyes suddenly turned yellow and glowed.

At that moment, the woman transforms into a ghost... just like Chalice. The girl couldn’t help but gasp. She covered her mouth, but it was too late. The ghost woman heard the gasp but when she opened the door no one was there. She shrugged and turned invisible.

“You’re much, you’re too much

And just too very, very

To ever be, to ever be in Webster’s dictionary

And so I’m borrowing

A lovesong from the birds

To tell you that you’re marvelous

Tell you that you’re marvelous

Tell you that you’re marvelous

Too marvelous for words ~”

Bendy gave the audience a wink of an eye at the end of the song and the crowd loved it. They clapped and cheered. Even Queen Honeybottoms clapped but subtly befitting a queen. Bendy bowed and then walked off stage. He went to the small room where he found a panting Chalice.

“It worked, I think Honeybottoms was actually... Chalice? What is it?” Bendy asked when he noticed the chalice girl’s distress.

“I saw a ghost!” Chalice exclaimed.

“Here? I imagine there must be a few around here with that crazy queen,”

“N-No, you don’t get it. She was a ghost like me,” Chalice said after catching her breath. “She looked normal one minute then the next minute she became a ghost.”

“Really?” Bendy asked. “Well, what was she doing?”

“Stealin’, I guess, I don’t know, but I think we need to find that honey fast and then get outta here fast,”

“Did ya get rid of the Warden at least?”

“Yeah, he and Frank are locked in a closet.”

“Alright, then. Here’s the plan, you go through the walls until you find the honey. Then ya come and find me. We go to the vault together, grab the goods, and then get out of here.”

“But how do we get the honey out of here?”

“Leave that to me,”

Chalice rolled her eyes. “Fine,” she said before flying away.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Come in,” Bendy said.

Blunt opened the door. “Her Highness will see you now,” he said.

Bendy followed the bee to Queen Honeybottoms.

“That was a nice performance, Mr. Scratch,” Honeybottoms said.

“Well thank you, Your Highness, I live to please,” Bendy said with a bow.

“You may sample the food but stay out of the honeycombs or I’ll have you arrested.” Rumor said.

“Thank you, Your Highness,” Bendy said as he bowed and backed away from the queen bee.

Behind him, Bee Warden was huffing and dusting himself until they accidentally bumped into each other.

“Sorry,” Bendy said turning around.

“It’s quite alright son,” The Warden said before he saw the kitten in front of him. His eyes squinted. “Who are you?”

Bendy froze for a second before he cleared his throat.

“I’m Bendy, the dancing cat, sir.” He said.

“You remind me of someone. Something about your eyes.”

“What these? Oh, they’re not even mine. I’m borrowin’ them from someone else.” Bendy said with a chuckle. “Excuse me,” he walked away.

The Warden eyed the little kitten suspiciously.

Bendy made it to the other end of the room. Just then, Chalice phased next to him.

“Bendy,” Chalice whispered.

“Chalice,” Bendy said. “Did you find the goods?”

“Yes,”

“Yes! Let’s go,”

The little kitten and chalice girl went to the vault not knowing that a certain old bee was following them...until he lost them.

Chalice took Bendy to where the secret vault door was.

“You go in first. I’ll meet you inside,” Bendy said.

“How will you get in?” Chalice asked.

“Was there a light inside the vault?”

“Yeah, a little light bulb,”

“Turn it off and I’ll get inside,” Bendy instructed.

Inside the vault, there were yellow barrels shaped like beehives full of honey. The ghost chalice floated inside the vault and turned out the light. Her ghostly body gave a soft blue glow in the dark.

“I still don’t get how he’s gonna get in here,” Chalice said.

“I have my ways,” Bendy said while stepping out of the shadows.

Chalice almost jumped. “Okay, how did ya do that?” she asked.

“I’ll tell ya later,” Bendy said. “Wow! The honey reserve. Oh, this is gonna be good,”

“So how do we get this out?” Chalice asked.

Bendy didn’t say a word. He just pulled out a glowing chalk stick from his pocket and drew a square.

“Watch this,” the kitten said before clearing his throat. “Surface world I’ll see you later, down I go in this elevator!” As soon as he finished, the room started to shake. The square drawing burst into flames and then the elevator to the Underworld appeared.

DING

Chalice gasped.

“Now, let’s stack ‘em up,” Bendy said.

One by one, Bendy and Chalice stored barrels in the elevator.

“Remember, twenty-five of this is mine,” Chalice said.

“Don’t worry, you’ll get your share,” Bendy said.

“Well, well, well,” came a feminine voice. “What have we here?”

The two children turned around and saw the ghost woman in her human form and the vault door open.

“I came to steal me some honey and you got the best stuff here all packed up and ready to go.” The woman said.

“Bendy, that’s her, the ghost I was talkin’ about,” Chalice said.

“You’re not taking this honey, ghoulie! Or whoever you are!” Bendy yelled.

“The press have been calling me the Inviable Bandit,” The woman said as she pulled out a knife from her pockets. “But my real name is Carley Slicer, and I’m takin’ that honey. Now hit the bricks, tiny dancers, before I slice ya up!”

“No,” Bendy said defiantly. He reached inside the elevator, pushed the down button, and closed the door.

DING

The elevator burned to the ground and disappeared.

“You’re gonna pay for that,” Carley said as she pointed her knife at the kitten.

Bendy ripped his gloves off and bared his claws. “Bring it on, wispy witch!” he exclaimed.

Down in the Underworld, The Devil, Henchman, and several devil imps were waiting in the throne room. Suddenly the elevator appeared, and The Devil eagerly opened the door. He smiled when he saw the barrels.

“Perfect, job well done son,” The Devil said. “Son?” he looked down but didn’t see the little devil. “Son? Bendall?”

“He’s not in there?” Henchman asked.

“He’s supposed to come back with the honey,” The Devil said. “Where is he?”

Meanwhile...

Bendy and Carley were in a fight cloud trying to scratch or slice each other.

Chalice was watching when the bee warden suddenly buzzed in. The chalice girl quickly turned invisible.

“Hey!” The bee shouted.

Bendy and Carley froze in place.

“You two are under arrest!” Bee Warden yelled.

Carley threw herself to the floor after grabbing Bendy’s hands. “Help me! Help me!” Carley cried out trying to sound helpless. “I caught this cat stealin’ honey and he attacked me.”

“What!?” Bendy shouted. “She’s a bandit and tried to rob this place!”

“But he took honey!” Carley said.

“Oh yeah, how?” Bendy asked.

“Yes, how did he take it?” The Warden asked.

“He used some kinda magic elevator that burned down into... the ground,” Carley said. “Okay, I know that sounds crazy but it’s true!”

“You lying witch!” Bendy snarled. He ripped his hands away and growled. His eyes glowed reddish orange.

When the warden saw the glowing eyes, he gasped. “Those eyes. I knew looked familiar!” he shouted. “I could never forget those burning eyes! You’re that demon cat from last week. I won’t let you escape me this time. You’re both coming with me!”

THUNK

Suddenly Bee Warden fell forward to the ground. Behind him was the big devil who had just hit the bee’s head with his pitchfork.

“I think not,” The Devil said. He looked at Bendy and Carley.

“Holy spit,” Carley whispered.

Chalice, still invisible, was frozen in place and stayed quiet.

“You!” The Devil said, pointing his pitchfork at Carley. “Get out or I’ll end you right here,” his pitchfork burned with fire.

“Y-yes sir,” Carley said, sounding frightened. She scrambled to her feet, grabbed a barrel of honey, and ran out.

The Devil put out the fire and approached the kitten. “Are you alright?” he asked cupping Bendy’s chin.

“I’m fine Dad,” Bendy said.

Chalice’s eyes went wide, and her mouth hung agape.

“Oh, she cut your bow tie.” The Devil said. “Oh well, I’ll get you a new one. Shall we get going?”

“Actually Dad, I was wondering. Could I stay up a bit longer?” Bendy asked. “I never did get to try the food here.”

“Hmmm. Alright, you deserve it after getting all that honey down to the Underworld,”

“Thank you, Dad,”

“But first, let’s fix you up a bit.” The Devil before pointing his pitchfork at the little devil. “No son of mine is going to a gala looking sloppy,”

A black cloud with red glitter came from the pitchfork and it floated to Bendy. First, he was engulfed in the cloud before it disappeared and now Bendy was in a formal suit. A blackish-blue suit, spats on his shoes, and a red bowtie. He no longer had a painted nose or tail sock.

“Dad, you’re the best fairy godmother ever,” Bendy said.

“Shh, don’t say things like that,” The Devil said lightly while tickling his son.

Bendy laughed, and The Devil couldn’t help but smile.

Now Chalice never expected to see something like this. The Devil, a father? And a pretty nice one at that, laughing and having fun with his son. She was shocked but she couldn’t help smiling at the affectionate sight.

The Devil backed away with a smile on his face.

“I’m very proud of you son, now go have fun,”

“Thanks, Dad,” Bendy said tap dancing away.

The Devil slammed his pitchfork down and disappeared before the vault door closed.

Chalice reappeared and was still shocked.

“Bendy is the Devil’s son,” Chalice said. “Hmmm.”

How to go about this? Bendy was a demon... but a nice one?

A while later, Bendy was at the gala, eating some appetizers and watching people dancing when someone tapped his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Chalice. This time she was wearing her black wig and hat.

“Hey,” the chalice girl said.

Bendy nearly choked on his food before he swallowed. “Oh hell, are you okay?” he asked. “Sorry, I kinda forgot.”

“Yeah, I’m fine... and I saw everythin’,” Chalice said.

“Everything?” Bendy asked slightly nervously.

“Yes, including your ‘fairy godmother’, or should I say... dad,”

Bendy froze for a moment before he put his tray on a nearby table. Then he faced the chalice and bowed slightly. “Miss Chalice, may I have this dance?” He asked as he held his hand out.

Chalice blinked in surprise before taking Bendy’s hand. They walked to the dance floor and danced to a slow song.

“You nervous?” Bendy asked.

“Well I haven’t done a lot of slow dancin’ before but so far so good,” Chalice answered.

“I mean about me,” Bendy said. “What do ya think?”

“I think... you being a demon makes sense. How you were able to do that disappearin’ stuff. And that thing in your head that tried to eat me,”

“You’ve been in my head?”

“Yeah, sorry,”

Bendy sighed. “Whatever.”

“That’s all ya have to say?”

“Hey, you’re the one who decided to jump into a little devil’s head.” He twirled Chalice. “The cups already know, by the way.”

“Oh, we can talk about them now?” Chalice asked.

“Yeah, I couldn’t say anything before cause my dad could’ve been listenin’, but I think it’s safe now,”

“So he doesn’t know about them?”

“No, and I plan on keeping it that way,”

“Well, don’t worry kitty, I’ll keep your secret under the straw if you keep my secret. And give me some of the honey,”

“I’ll get ya your share along with Cuphead and Mugman’s,” Bendy said before dipping Chalice.

“Deal,” Chalice said with a smile.

The two troublemakers kept dancing, laughing, and having fun.

Hours later, Bee Warden woke up in a closet tied up and stripped down to his underwear. He screamed for help.

Later...

In a shack outside of the city, Carley was mixing some of the honey into some portage. Then she took out a blue bottle with an ‘X’ written on it and poured the blue-ish liquid inside it into the food.

“Lousy kids! Lousy Devil!” Carley grumbled and groaned. “Oh, well,” she poured the finished portage into a pot, opened the basement door, and walked down with it. “Hey fellas, I got some dinner for ya’,”

In the basement, Charley Piper, Barley Fisher, and Edgar Striker were tied down with rope and drowsy. They groaned in response to Carley’s voice.

Meanwhile...

Out in the ocean, not far from the Inkwell docks, there was a sailboat. On the side of the boat was written “Shipahoy Dudley”.

The only one on the ship was an old balding human man with a scar over his right pupil-less eye. He was reading a book when his fishing line moved. He dropped his book and reeled in the fishing hook.

“C’mon, c’mon!” The man said. “You’re not escaping old Wilson,”

The hook pulled up and Wilson’s eyes widened. The fish was small and pitch black. Just as the old man caught the fish in his hands, the creature melted and changed shape into Bendy’s demon tail.

Wilson was quick and held it tight in his hand. The tail wriggled and shook but the old man wouldn’t let it go.

“Well, well,” Wilson said with a sinister look in his eyes. “What have we got here?”

Chapter Text

At the Kettle cottage, Mugman groaned and shivered, laying on the couch looking very sick. His eyes were bloodshot, his skin was paler than normal, and he was sweating even with an ice pack on his forehead.

“Poor Mugman,” Elder Kettle said patting the mug’s head. “Sick as a dog. I’m afraid you’re going to have to stay indoors today.”

“Oh no!” Mugman groaned. “Maybe I could just...” He tried to sit up only to groan from pain and cough.

“Easy, buddy,” Cuphead said as he gently pushed Mugman back down.

“Do you think you’ll be alright by yourself while we go out for errands?” Kettle asked.

“I-I think so,” Mugman said before coughing.

“Okay then, you rest up,” Kettle said.

Kettle and Cuphead head to the front door. The kettle put a scarf and hat on.

“We’ll be back before you know it,” Kettle said.

Elder Kettle and Cuphead left the cottage and after they closed the door, they noticed someone waiting by the fence. It was the little devil in his kitten disguise.

“Bendy!” Cuphead said before he ran to his friend. “Where’ve you been buddy?”

Mugman went to the window to watch the family leave but to his surprise, he saw Bendy. He couldn’t hear what they were saying but he suspected that Bendy was asking Cuphead something. Kettle nodded and left for his truck... leaving the cup behind. Mugman saw the two boys smile at each other before they walked away while holding hands.

“Cuphead is going with Bendy? Alone?” Mugman said. He got a funny feeling in his chest but then shook his head. “Doesn’t matter. It’ll be alright.” he looked away from the window and shed his illness facade. “I love errands and hanging out with them but sometimes one must go to extremes to do the things one wishes to do.”

Mugman put a tea bag into his teacup, straightened a pillow on the chair, and turned on a lamp.

“At last, peace and quiet,” Mugman said with a sigh holding a book. “Now I can finally enjoy my book.”

The book was titled ‘Romance on The High Seas’. Mugman was about to open his book when glanced and saw a picture of Cuphead. He immediately thought about Cuphead and Bendy again.

“I wonder what they are up to?” Mugman asked before he shook his head again. “I’m not gonna let them distract me this time. I’m going to enjoy my book in peace.”

Chapter EIGHT: The Rendezvous

The majestic pirate ship sailed across the open sea, led by the heart of a mighty hero. A hero so fearlessly bold, clever, and dangerous, but also quite handsome. The great Captain Mugbeard.

Mugman imagined that Mugbeard looked just like him. Except Mugbeard had a mustache and a beard.

He was a legendary pirate with a crew of daring yet loyal miscreants.

He imagines Cuphead, Bendy, Kettle, and Chalice as pirates. Cuphead and Kettle fought while Bendy and Chalice cheered them on.

“Rest up, ye mateys, for tomorrow, we slay the dreaded sea beast!” Mugbeard yelled as he raised his sword.

The crew raised their weapons. “Argh! Slay the beast! Argh!” They yelled.

“Argh!” Mugbeard yelled.

“Argh!” the crew yelled.

“Argh!”

“Argh!”

“Argh!”

“Argh!”

“Argh!” Mugman yelled before he shook his head. “All right, enough already, go to bed.” He ordered.

The crew finally headed down the deck and Mugbeard rubbed his throat.

“Jeez, all that argh-ing is really hard on the throat,” Mugbeard said.

As he gazed over the open ocean, Mugbeard took in a breath of-

SQUEAK

As he gazed over the open ocean, Mugbeard took in a breath of-

SQUEAK

He took in-

SPLASH

Mugbeard looked over the deck and saw pirate Cuphead and Bendy in one of the lifeboats.

“Shouldn’t we let Mugbeard come with us?” Cuphead whispered.

“N’ah. We don’t need him. We got each other,” Bendy whispered.

Cuphead shrugged and they started rowing away leaving a stunned Mugbeard behind.

“Fellas, wait! Wait!” Mugbeard shouted.

But Cuphead and Bendy didn’t seem to hear him and kept going.

“Come back!” he yelled.

“Come back!” Mugman yelled.

Mugman was still in his chair.

“Darn it!” he said. “What are those two up to?”

The mug grumbled, slammed his book closed, and walked out the front door. He pocketed his book, and he ran down the dirt road his brother and friend took to the city.

Mugman soon spotted them going to the park and secretly followed them. Cuphead and Bendy were sitting on a park bench.

“There they are,” Mugman whispered. “But I can’t let them know I followed them. I need a way to hear what they’re saying without getting too close.” Mugman thought for a moment before he saw two elder otters playing chess. One otter had an ear trumpet by his chair.

“Bingo,” Mugman whispered. He snuck over and stole the trumpet. After he crawled through the bushes, he saw Cuphead and Bendy talking when the cup’s face suddenly turned red, and his lips puckered.

After Mugman wiped the small end of the trumpet, he put it to his ear and listened. He heard Bendy laugh when suddenly, a loud jingle rang out in his ear. All the children in the park suddenly froze when they heard the “Pop Goes the Weasel” song. That song could only mean one thing.

“ICE CREAM!” the children shouted before rushing to the gate.

Mugman stayed ducked under the bush as the children ran out the gate and crowded the ice cream truck.

The seller in the ice cream truck was a large scoop of chocolate ice cream in a cup. He chuckled and sold his ice cream to the kids, including Bendy and Cuphead. After the two left with their ice cream, Mugman looked at the seller angrily and marched over to the ice cream truck.

“Excuse me!” Mugman shouted.

“Oh, hey there, would you like to hear the flavor of the day?” the seller asked.

“No thank you, I-” Mugman said.

“But you haven’t heard what it is. It’s a different flavor every day.”

“Well, I don’t care what the flavor is! Look I know you only bring joy and delicious treats but– are you aware that your hat is on crooked?”

“Yep! Just the way I like it.” The Ice Cream said.

Mugman glared at the seller.

“Now, would you like to hear the flavor of the day?” The Ice Cream Man asked.

“No! Your music. Would you turn it off please?” Mugman asked.

“It is off,” The Ice Cream Man pointed out with a smile.

Mugman listened for a second and realized that it was true.

“Oh, so it is,” Mugman said.

“Now, would you like to order something, otherwise I have other customers waiting behind you,” The Ice Cream Man said.

“Yeah! Get an ice cream or move it mug!” said a tomato boy.

“Um, one fudge pop please,” Mugman said handing The Ice Cream Man a quarter.

Mugman took his ice cream and ran away from the truck. He felt so embarrassed. He ate his ice cream by the gate before resuming his current mission. Following Cuphead and Bendy.

He ran in the direction he saw them go earlier and, after a while of running, he spotted them leaving the park and heading to the beach.

Since it was fall, there wasn’t a lot of activity at the beach but there were people there. Adults relaxed on towels and chairs, children were building sandcastles or playing in the water, and people fished on the docks.

Bendy and Cuphead were walking down the pier while Mugman stealthily followed them. The two boys seemed to be talking when Cuphead started to lean in close to Bendy’s face.

‘What is he doing?’ Mugman wondered. It’s almost like... like-

The ice cream truck jingle played through the air and Bendy and Cuphead froze along with the other children.

“ICE CREAM!” the children shouted before running to the truck.

Mugman hid in time before Cuphead and Bendy could spot him. The mug saw the truck and its seller was the same ice cream man from the park not long ago.

Mugman grumbled.

After Cuphead and Bendy bought their ice cream and left, Mugman went straight to the counter of the truck.

“Hey!” Mugman shouted.

“Would you like to hear the flavor of the day?” The Ice Cream Man asked.

“No! I saw you in the park less than ten minutes ago.”

“Oh! I thought you looked familiar.” The Ice Cream Man said. “Would you like to hear the flavor of the day now?”

“No thank you!” the mug said before storming off.

Mugman followed Cuphead and Bendy again, this time they went to the community dance hall. It was closed for the day. Cuphead pulled Bendy next to the steps and the cup started dancing, but not that gracefully. Bendy couldn’t help but snicker before joining Cuphead in the dance.

Mugman hid behind a trashcan across the street and watched the two dance together.

Bendy and Cuphead smiled at each other as they kept dancing alone together. Cuphead blushed when Bendy winked at him. The cup turned around, hoping the kitten didn’t notice.

Bendy grabbed Cuphead’s shoulder and they started talking again.

Mugman put the trumpet to his ear and this time caught their voices.

“...no shame in it Cuphead,” Bendy said.

“You mean it?” Cuphead asked before his blush faded away.

“I do,” Bendy said.

“No shame in what?” Mugman whispered. “What are they talking about?”

Just then... the ice cream truck jingled... Again! Mugman growled with furry.

Bendy grabbed Cuphead’s hand and the two ran away.

Mugman waited and then stomped to the truck window.

“Excuse me!” Mugman yelled.

“Sorry, we’re closed! It’s my lunch hour!” Ice Cream Man said from inside the truck. He closed the window on Mugman’s fingers, causing the mug to wince from the pain.

When Mugman managed to free his fingers, he ran to the front of the left side of the truck.

“Hey!” Mugman yelled. He ran to all the windows, but each one had a sign that read “Sorry, We’re Closed” with a smiley face. Mugman got so mad he growled in rage, his head turned red, his milk bubbled over, and he stomped the ground.

The ice cream man started singing while eating his sandwich. Just then, he noticed a saw cutting a hole in the roof of his truck, then, Mugman fell on top of him.

“Turn off the music and fix that hat!” Mugman yelled and slammed the Ice Cream Man to the floor.

“But why?” Ice Cream Man asked. “I only bring joy and delicious treats!”

Mugman held up an ice cream cone, and Ice Cream Man gasped.

“Whoa, whoa! Put down the cone, buddy.” The ice cream man said.

“This. Ends. Now!” Mugman said angrily.

Ice Cream Man whimpered and tried to reach for the sprinkles, when he grabbed some, he threw it in Mugman’s eyes, causing the mug to scream.

“Sprinkles!” Mugman exclaimed. He fell and tried to get the sprinkles out of his eyes.

“I’m sorry, buddy, I had to do it. You were acting all crazy.” Ice Cream Man explained and then he smiled. “Now, about the flavor of the day.”

Mugman’s now red eyes snapped open, and the sprinkles fell off.

“Stop!” Mugman yelled before he approached the ice cream man. “I have had it with you flavor of the day! And your music! And your face! And your stupid. Crooked. Hat!” he poked the Ice Cream Man’s nose.

The Ice Cream Man gasped.

“Turn off the music, fix that hat, and get out of here!” Mugman yelled.

The Ice Cream Man whimpered.

Mugman stepped out of the truck before the Ice Cream Man drove away with “Pop Goes the Weasel playing in minor key.

“Hmm!” Mugman huffed. “Now to find those two–”

“Those two what? Mugman.” Came a familiar voice.

Mugman flinched and gasped when he saw Cuphead and Bendy suddenly standing behind him. They had their arms crossed and looked at him with disapproval.

“O-Oh, hi’ya fellas,” Mugman stuttered. “H-how long have you been standing there?”

“Long enough to hear you yelling at the ice cream man,” Bendy said.

“By the way Mugsy, you’re suddenly looking a lot better than you did this morning,” Cuphead pointed out. “That was quick,”

Mugman’s eyes shifted, and he opened his mouth to speak but words refused to come out.

“And why do you have that trumpet for?” Bendy said questioningly. “You suddenly hard of hearing?”

Mugman shook. “Okay! I admit it!” he exclaimed and fell to his knees. “I faked being sick and... and-”

“And?” Bendy said.

“And I was using this to listen to you two talking all day!”

“All day?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy gasped. “You were following us all day. What for?”

“I- I saw you two leave and I felt... left out,” Mugman admitted. “I tried to ignore it but then I decided to follow you twos. I used this to eavesdrop on you guys.”

“Mugsy...” Cuphead said in shock.

“If it makes you two feel any better, I didn’t get a chance to hear anything because of the ice cream truck jingle.”

“Is that why you yelled at him?” Bendy asked.

“How did you–?”

“We could hear you from across the block. The neighborhood is kinda quiet right now.” Bendy clarified.

Mugman looked embarrassed. “I’m sorry. I know I probably don’t have a right to ask this, but what were you doing all day? And why wasn’t I included?” he asked.

“You weren’t included because we thought you were sick,” Cuphead said.

“Oh, right,” Mugman said blushing.

“And we were just hanging out. That’s all,” Bendy said.

“But what about the blushing at the park? And Cuphead leaning towards you at the pier? And the blushing while dancing? I heard you say there’s no shame in it. Well, no shame in what?”

“Wow, you really were following us all day,” Cuphead said in astonishment.

“Okay, here’s the truth,” Bendy said. “Cuphead blushed at the park because of this,” the kitten handed the mug a red ball that smelled spicy.

“What is it?” Mugman asked.

“It’s a candy my dad and I eat. It’s super spicy and sour. Cuphead’s face was red from eating it.”

“I think it burned off some of my tongue,” Cuphead said. “And at the pier. I was telling him my ‘In Jimmy’s face story’ and getting into his face.”

Mugman nodded. “Okay. But what about the dancing? Why did you blush?” he asked.

“Ummm...” Cuphead said with a blush.

“He broke wind while we were dancing,” Bendy said smiling mischievously.

“Hey!” Cuphead shouted.

Bendy and Mugman snickered.

“So you two were just having fun without me?” Mugman said sadly.

“Sure, but we still would’ve had fun with you,” Bendy said.

“Yeah, we didn’t mean to make you feel left out,” Cuphead said.

Mugman smiled and then sighed.

“I can’t believe I wasted the whole day stalking you two when I could’ve read my book instead.” He pocketed the trumpet and held out the book he wanted to read. “And the ice cream man. I took all my frustration out on him. He didn’t deserve that. I need to apologize.” Mugman got back on his feet and held the book under his arm.

“You want us to come with you?” Bendy asked.

“No. This is something I have to do on my own.” Mugman said. “You guys have your fun,”

“Okay, good luck,” Cuphead said.

Bendy and Cuphead walked away and Mugman went in the direction the ice cream man drove.

“Ice Cream Man!” Mugman cried out.

“You think he’ll be alright?” Bendy asked.

“He’ll be fine. ‘Sides, it’s the ice cream man. How bad could it get?” Cuphead said.

Mugman arrived at a town by the sea. The fog was rolling all around the buildings.

“Ice Cream Man?” the mug called out and ran around the houses. “Ice Cream Man?”

He screeched to a stop and looked around, but no one was around. He sniffled.

“Oh, Ice Cream Man,” Mugman said with a sob.

Then he heard “Pop Goes the Weasel” and gasped. He ran to where he heard the music and stopped when he saw the truck lights. They shined in his eyes, and he heard the truck’s engine humming.

“Ice Cream Man?” Mugman wondered. “I’m sorry I was so very cruel!”

The vehicle slowly drove closer, and it was revealed to be a turkey lady in a truck. She turned off her gramophone.

“Sorry, what’d you say?” Ms. Turkey asked before she laughed. “I just love ice cream truck music playing at full blast. It’s all I listen to.”

Mugman looked down. “I– I thought you were my Ice Cream Man.” He said.

“Nope, sorry.” Ms. Turkey said with a shrug before she played “Pop Goes the Weasel” on her gramophone and drove away. As soon as she left the ice cream truck appeared.

“Ice Cream Man!” Mugman exclaimed happily and waved his hand.

In the ice cream truck, the Ice Cream Man seemed surprised at first. He smiled, then he chuckled which turned into laughter, then it turned into maniacal laughter.

The Ice Cream Man gasped. “I found you!” he said. The tires screeched as he started the truck and charged the truck toward the mug.

Mugman screamed and then ran away.

The Ice Cream Man laughed maniacally as he chased after the mug.

Mugman ran down a dock but was still chased by the Ice Cream Man. He jumped into the river, but the truck drove off the dock and into the water. Mugman screamed but managed to dive out of the way. The truck sank while the mug swam out of the water and crawled onto the shore before sitting against a log and gasping for air.

“It’s over,” Mugman said.

Bubbles started forming in the water before the ice cream truck suddenly jumped out of the lake. The window wipers wipe away the water and the Ice Cream Man was still laughing maniacally.

Mugman screamed and rushed to get away. He ran on the dirt road through the woods, and the lights from the ice cream truck shined behind him. The mug was panting, and he continued to run until they reached Kettle Cottage. Mugman was forced to stop at the fence and the truck lights shined on him again.

The truck stopped, the door opened, and the Ice Cream Man stepped out.

“Please don’t hurt me, Ice Cream Man.” Mugman pleaded as he shook with fear.

“Hurt you?” The Ice Cream Man said with a chuckle as he slowly approached the mug. “I’m here to thank you!” he held his hand out.

Mugman stopped shaking and looked confused. “Thank me?” he asked.

“For the inspiration.” The Ice Cream Man said before pointing at his hat. “See? I got a new hat. It’s the same as the old one, still at a jaunty angle, but slightly smaller.” He winked.

Mugman was stunned. “That is why you were chasing me?” he asked, sounding annoyed. “To tell me about your slightly smaller hat?!”

The Ice Cream Man scratched his nose for a second before he noticed Mugman’s book.

“Oh, hey! I’ve read that book.” The Ice Cream Man said, pointing at the book. “Did you read the part where Mugbeard’s crew double-crosses him and leaves him to die on a deserted island? I didn’t see that ending coming.”

Mugman facepalmed before chuckling insanely.

“That’s a good one!” Mugman said with a manic smile. He slammed his book down on the ground. “He...he dies!”

Mugman screamed and pounced on the Ice Cream Man.

Just as the mug started attacking, Elder Kettle drove up to the cottage, and Cuphead and Bendy walked up from the dirt road. Everyone stopped and saw the fight.

“Fix the hat! Fix the hat! Fix the hat!” Mugman yelled as he punched the Ice Cream Man.

However, the mug’s punches don’t even hurt. It just made the Ice Cream Man’s body squeak.

“Gee. Was it something I said?” The Ice Cream Man asked.

Mugman laughed hysterically while Kettle and the boys looked at each other and shrugged.

“You boys mind helping me with the bags?” Kettle asked.

“Sure,” Cuphead and Bendy said.

The cup and kitten walked up to the cottage with some of the bags.

“Join us inside when you’re done playing, Mugman,” Kettle said with a chuckle.

Chapter Text

65 Years Ago...

The Devil was in a good mood tonight as hundreds of souls were taken in one day and he relished the sounds of their screaming. And what better way to end the day than with some music playing on the pipe organ? He was playing one of his favorites. Toccata and fugue in d minor. His fingers moved swiftly along the keys and his eyes fixed to them.

He moved to the left then to the right... and then he noticed a pair of small eyes next to the organ.

The Devil shrieked and fell backward.

The big devil was so lost in his playing he didn’t notice toddler Bendy had walked into the room. The little devil ran to his father’s side.

“Daddy, daddy, you fell down,” Bendy said.

“Thank you, son,” The Devil said, his teeth never parted. He got up on his feet, took a breath, brushed his chest, and then spoke in a softer tone. “Bendall, what are you doing here? We put you to bed hours ago.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Bendy said. “Bad dweams,”

“Oh, my little monster had nightmares,” The Devil said.

Bendy nodded and rubbed his eye.

The Devil sat back on the piano stool. “Sit. Play with me,” he said before patting a spot next to him.

Bendy smiled and went to his father but he struggled to get on the stool. The Devil picked his son up and set him down next to him. Unlike what he was playing previously, the big devil played softer music. Bendy reached and pressed two keys at the same time with his shorter fingers. It was out of sync, but The Devil didn’t care as long as his little devil was enjoying himself.

“You play good, Daddy,” Bendy said.

“Thank you, son,” The Devil said. “When you’re a little bigger, I’ll teach you how to play like this, wouldn’t that be nice?”

“Mmhm,” Bendy hummed happily.

Present Day...

Mugman was wearing a suit and a powdered wig. He was playing Chopin’s “Nocturne Op. 9 No. 2” on a grand piano on a regal theater stage. Every seat was full and yet Mugman didn’t freeze, he simply played with the mannerisms of a gentleman and professional musician.

At the end of the song, the audience applauded and cheered. As Mugman bowed, roses were thrown on the stage. He picked up a rose and sniffed it with tears of pride welled up in his eyes.

Suddenly, the piano came to life, it panted before licking Mugman’s face with its large tongue.

The audience laughed while the mug groaned.

Mugman groaned before waking up. The concert had been a dream. In reality, the mug was lying in the hammock outside the cottage with a sandwich on his lap. The goat was licking his face, but Mugman soon pushed him away.

“Blech! Ugh! Get off of me, you stupid goat!” Mugman yelled before throwing his sandwich away and the goat chased after it.

Cuphead and Bendy were standing next to the hammock. The cup and kitten jumped into the hammock with the mug.

“Careful, there’s not a lot of room in this hammock,” Mugman said.

“Yeah, yeah,” Bendy said dismissively before he curled up in the middle of the hammock.

“You were having that piano dream again, weren’t you?” Cuphead said.

“Piano dream?” Bendy asked.

“Yeah,” Mugman said. “I dream of playing the piano on a grand stage.”

“Really? You can play the piano?” Bendy asked.

“Well... not yet. But I’m getting there. I have a lesson today with the great Ludwig!”

“Ugh, that guy. The biggest Snooty Face in all of Inkwell Isle.” Cuphead said.

“No. Ludwig is a brilliant musical mind,” Mugman said. “and he’s inspiring me to appreciate the finer things, like music, culture, and lobster.”

“Eh, lobsters overrated,” Bendy said. “If you really want fine dining, eat a steak- oh! Or a king crab!”

Suddenly the hammock spun over, and the mug and kitten fell to the ground. Cuphead helped Bendy back on his feet and then grabbed a bucket.

“Eh, who needs lobster or crab when there are free crawdads down at the crick?” Cuphead said before walking away.

Bendy followed the cup after he grabbed some rope.

“You can keep your crawdads and your crick!” Mugman said.

“And you can keep your snooty piano instructor,” Cuphead said. “He doesn’t even say your name right.”

“Well, now I wanna see this guy,” Bendy said.

At that moment they heard a horn honk Beethoven’s “5th Symphony”.

“Here comes your chance,” Cuphead said.

Mugman gasped and then squealed with excitement.

The boys watched as a really, really, REALLY long limo pulled up to the fence. A man with a gramophone for a head stepped out of the limo. He was wearing a black suit and pants with yellow buttons, on the inside was a yellow and blue shirt with a white fluff and white gloves.

His head was playing Vivaldi’s “Summer” before he pushed his button nose, and the music stopped.

“Okay, I see what you mean now,” Bendy said looking unimpressed, and took Cuphead’s hand. “Let’s go,”

“Yeah, we got crawdads to catch. Have fun tickling the ivories, you weirdos.” Cuphead said before he and Bendy walked away.

“Good morning, Ludwig!” Mugman greeted the instructor.

“Yes, good morning, Moog Maan.” Ludwig said as he strode to the cottage. “What a lovely day is any day I get to see my favorite student, Moog Maan.”

“Yep. That’s my name!” Mugman said.

“No, it’s not!” Cuphead shouted from across the way.

“Shh!” Mugman shushed before he followed the instructor. “Uh, Ludwig, I was wondering—”

“A moment, Moog Maan!” Ludwig interjected and stopped striding. “I must remove my driving gloves.”

Ludwig began to carefully remove his gloves while Mugman waited quietly next to him.

“You were saying?” the instructor said before resuming his stride to the cottage.

“Oh!” Mugman said. “I just remembered—”

“A moment, Moog Maan!” Ludwig interjected again after he stepped on the front step. “I must put on my non-driving gloves.”

Ludwig pulled out an identical pair of gloves from his pocket and then began to carefully put the gloves on. Mugman waited quietly while rocking on his feet.

“There. Now, you were saying?” Ludwig asked.

“Oh, eh... Uh... I was wondering, uh... I forgot.” Mugman said.

“Such is the power of watching a man remove and then put on various pairs of gloves.” The instructor got on one knee and placed a hand on the mug’s shoulder. “Now, Moog Maan, there is something I must say, and it is this: I loathe you.” His eyes turned red.

“What? Ludwig, no!” Mugman cried out.

Ludwig stood up and made dramatic poses as he spoke.

“Yes, my dear boy, I loathe you, because I am jealous. Jealous that your musical adventure is at its dawn, while mine barely holds on to dusk. Why go on, you ask? Because I choose to nurture the next wave of talent, you! Moog Maan!”

“Ah!” Mugman exclaimed.

“His name is Mugman!” Cuphead shouted.

The mug glared at the cup in the distance.

Not far from the Kettle Cottage, there was a lovely creek with rocks, grass, and mud. It was also home to many critters such as rabbits, fish, snakes, and of course...

“Crawdads!” Cuphead said excitedly.

He and Bendy were sitting on a fallen tree that acted as a bridge across the creek. They had dropped the bucket into the water with a rope tied to the handle. Crawdads were swimming and crawling into the bucket. Soon, Cuphead pulled the bucket up and smiled when he saw the many crawdads in the bucket. Bendy picked out one of the live crustaceans.

“So these are crawdads?” Bendy asked as he inspected the crawdad between his fingers.

“Yepp,” Cuphead said. “So you really never had a crawdad before?”

“Nope,” Bendy said.

“Oh, then you’re in for a treat.”

Cuphead inspected the crawdads in the bucket.

“So, Cuphead...” Bendy said.

“Yeah?” Cuphead asked.

“How come you don’t take piano lessons with Mugman?”

“Eh, I ain’t really into it.”

“Too bad. The piano is great.”

“You know how to play?”

“Yes, but not just piano. I can also play the organ, violin, guitar, trumpet, flute, drums, and saxophone, and I’m currently learning how to play the xylophone.”

“Huh? So you know how to play all that, but you never ate crawdads before?” Cuphead wondered.

“Playing musical instruments is more important to my dad than having me eat tiny river lobsters,” Bendy said.

“Your dad made you learn all that stuff? Your dad as in...” The cup pointed a finger down to the ground.

“Yeah, him. You can also call him Mr. Scratch. Anyway, he loves the art of music... or the art of anything really.”

“I never would’ve thought of that. And does he know how to play the piano and stuff?”

“Of course. He once told me: Son, there’s nothing in this world that is as attractive as a talent,”

“And you believe that?”

“Yeah, I do,”

Cuphead hummed and scratched his chin with a smile.

Back at the Kettle Cottage...

Mugman was playing the piano in the living room... rather poorly. He played discordant notes.

“Rats!” Mugman yelled. He slammed his fists on the keys. “There I go again messing up.”

“Do not fret, young master,” Ludwig said. “Just release the tension in your hands. Try to relax.”

“Oh right! Thanks, Ludwig.”

“Well, when I’ve got you as a student, it’s... Godfrey Daniel!” Ludwig exclaimed.

Mugman screamed. “What is it?” he asked.

“Your posture. It is exquisite!” Ludwig said with a smile. “I see quite the improvement.”

“Oh! Why, thank you, Ludwig.” Mugman said.

“Now, I would like for you to grace the ivories with... “Chopsticks”.”

“Rudimentary, but I’ll go with it.” Mugman said before playing “Chopsticks” ...out of tune.

The little goldfish in the fishbowl perched on the piano covered his ears.

“One-two-three, one-two-three Going the same rhythm ~ And it’s sounding so lovely One-two-three ~ And you’re going a bit faster One-two-three, one-two-three~” Ludwig sang.

A green scent reached Mugman’s nose, and the smell made the mug mash the keys.

“Ugh! Crawdads?” Mugman said pinching his nose.

Cuphead and Bendy were now in the living room and the cup bit into a crawdad.

“I see what you’re doing there, Mugsy,” Cuphead said before he threw the tail away and placed the bucket down. “Eh, why not try a little something like this?”

Cuphead walked to the piano and played “Chopsticks”. Then he started to play upbeat ragtime music perfectly. Ludwig, Bendy, and Elder Kettle watched the cup play with stunned expressions on their faces. The goldfish danced in his bowl to the music. By the end, everyone, including Mugman, stared at the cup.

A faint blush was on Bendy’s cheeks as he looked at Cuphead.

“What are you weirdos looking at?” Cuphead asked. No one answered. “Eh, I got crawdads to eat.” He backed away into the kitchen.

“Who was that brilliant boy?” Ludwig wondered.

Mugman sighed.

In the kitchen, Cuphead was sitting on a chair eating crawdads. A pile of tails on the table.

“Brother of Moog Maan, what you just did, how did you do it?” Ludwig asked.

“I ‘dunno. I just played what felt right.” Cuphead answered his eyes never leaving the bucket of crawdads.

Bendy walked up to Cuphead. “You just made that up on the spot?” he asked.

“Yeah,” Cuphead answered before handing his friend a crawdad.

“That was amazing! I’m impressed cup.” The kitten said before biting the head off the crawdad.

Cuphead smiled and had a faint blush on his face.

“Your talent, it’s so raw and alive!” Ludwig said.

“Mister, you’re starting to creep me out,” Cuphead said trying to keep his distance from the instructor.

“Listen, there’s a piano competition...” Ludwig said.

“No, thank you,” Cuphead said.

“Tomorrow at the Inkwell Theater!”

“Nope.”

“You will enter as my pupil and dazzle all of the Inkwell Isles with your song.”

“Pass!”

“Did I mention the grand prize is $10,000?”

Suddenly dollar signs flashed in Cuphead’s eyes but then he blinked them away.

“N’ah,” the cup said.

“Ah c’mon Cup, you’d be great.” Bendy said.

Cuphead looked back at Bendy with a light blush on his face.

Ludwig looked between the two boys and smirked. He leaned in and whispered in the cup’s ear. “You know... musicians get a lot of admirers.”

Cuphead’s eyes widened, and his pupils turned into hearts. “I’ll play at the resettle!” he declared.

“You mean recital?” Bendy wondered.

“That’s what I said. Recital!” Cuphead said.

“Excellent,” Ludwig said.

Mugman suddenly stepped in between Cuphead and Ludwig.

“Recital!?” the mug said. “But that was my dream and my grand prize. You can’t pick someone for the recital till you hear us both play.” He pulled Ludwig into the living room and sat on the stool. “You think he’s so great, just wait till you hear Moog Maan. Prepare to be dazzled.”

Mugman played one note before Ludwig placed a hand on Mugman’s.

“Stop!” Ludwig interjected. “Dear boy, the piano isn’t for everyone. Perhaps, you should try, um... watercolors.”

Mugman frowned upon hearing this.

“Anyway! Let us go, my boy.” Ludwig said linking arms with Cuphead who brought Bendy along. “The high life awaits!”

“See ya Mugman!” Bendy said.

The three left the cottage and the mug was left behind, broken-hearted.

“But that was supposed to be my dream, and my $10,000, and my lobster!” Mugman cried out before he started crying and mashed the keys.

“Well, there’s always crawdads,” Kettle said. He had the bucket now and ate a crawdad.

“I don’t want crawdads!” Mugman shouted before he mashed the keys.

“Stop that. You love crawdads.” Kettle said.

“I said no!” Mugman yelled before he mashed the keys again.

“Is this some kind of jealousy thing involving Cuphead?” Kettle asked.

Mugman sniffled and wiped away some tears from his eyes.

“Probably,” he answered.

“Well, if it’s so important to you, just put in the time,” Kettle said. “You know the old saying. “Practice all day and you might get better, but don’t practice and you certainly won’t.”

Mugman wiped his nose with his hand.

“Nobody says that.” The mug said. He started playing “Chopsticks” out of tune while Kettle backed away into the kitchen.

Kettle cringed when Mugman played a discordant note but smiled and gave the mug two thumbs up as he backed away.

Four Hours Later...

Mugman was banging his head frustratingly against the keys. Kettle walked into the living room holding a pair of hedge trimmers.

“Ah... You know what? Maybe try watercolors?” Kettle suggested.

Mugman slowly turned his head towards Kettle, an angry expression on his face.

“Maybe. Try. Watercolors!?” He yelled, mashing the keys again.

“Well, hey,” Kettle said with a shrug. “You may not have gotten better, but that doesn’t mean Cuphead won’t get worse.”

Mugman gasped. “Elder Kettle, you’re a genius.” He said. “Cuphead can’t play in the recital if he doesn’t have any hands!”

The mug grabbed the trimmers from the kettle, laughed maniacally, and ran for the door.

Kettle stopped Mugman by grabbing his handle and pulled him back.

“What have I told you about using my hedge trimmers to mutilate your brother?” Kettle said after taking back the trimmers. “Now, go to your room!”

Mugman, with his head hung low, walked up the stairs to his room.

The hours passed and soon it was dark outside.

The mug was in his bed looking up at the ceiling sadly. Just then he could hear Ludwig’s laugh coming from outside.

“Oh, yes!” Ludwig said.

“Shh! Keep it down, Ludwig. My brother’s asleep.” Came Cuphead’s voice.

Mugman frowned before he shook in a jealous rage.

“Oh, and don’t forget, the recital is tomorrow. I’ll be over in the morning to pick you up.” Ludwig said.

Bendy and Cuphead climbed in through the window.

“Oh, and Coop Haad, I utterly loathe you!” Ludwig said.

“I loathe you too, Lud— Whoa!” Cuphead said before he fell on the floor in his room.

Ludwig, Cuphead, and Bendy laughed.

Mugman sat up on his bed. Cuphead climbed up the ladder.

“Oh, hey Mugsy, I must have climbed into the wrong bed,” the cup said.

Mugman pushed Cuphead away and he fell but Bendy managed to catch the cup before he hit the ground.

“Hey! What’s your problem Mugman?” Bendy asked as he held Cuphead bridal style.

“What’s my problem!? I’ll tell ya! I got a brother that’s double-crossed me!”

“Me? What did I do?” Cuphead asked.

“What did you do!? You knew I was excited about the piano, and then you completely showed me up! You stole my instructor, my chance for the recital, and now Ludwig loathes you!” Mugman started sobbing. “I wanted Ludwig to loathe me!”

Bendy set Cuphead back on his feet.

“Mugsy, I don’t even care about the piano,” the cup said. “You want me to give it up? Just say the word and I’ll give it up.”

Mugman stopped crying. “Give it up.” He said plainly.

“What? No way!” Cuphead said. “You’re just jealous because I’m better than you. I’m gonna win that $10,000, and tonight with Ludwig, I ate lobster.”

“You ate lobster?!” Mugman yelled. He jumped out of bed and wailed as he left the room. “You’re gonna see what happens when you mess with Moog Maan!” he slammed the door as he left.

Later...

Mugman snuck into the theatre where the recital was to be held. Wearing a towel around his shoulders like a cape, the mug laughed as he set a trap for Cuphead. He painted a red ‘X’ on the stage, tied up a piano, hosted it up in the air, set it right above where his brother would be, and laughed maniacally.

The next morning, a tired Mugman chuckled on his way to the Kettle Cottage but before he could open the fence- someone pounced on him. The broke through the fence and they tumbled over the ground.

“What did you do!?” Bendy question as he pinned Mugman to the ground.

The tackle woke Mugman up as he looked up at the little devil. “Bendy?” He asked, his voice trembling.

“What did you do to Cuphead!?” Bendy questioned with a snarl.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Mugman said.

“Really? I went to the recital and Ludwig was there without Cuphead and here I find you looking like you’ve been out all night,”

Mugman blinked in confusion. “Wait, what are you talking about?” he asked.

“Cuphead isn’t at the theater and Ludwig said it was because he couldn’t make it. I figured you did somethin’.”

“What? How could you say that?”

“You’re the one who vowed revenge against Cuphead last night.”

“I didn’t do anythin’ to him,”

Bendy’s fur began to liquify as he glared down at the mug with glowing eyes. “Then where is he?” he said.

Just as the two went silent they heard a light snoring. They looked around and over the fence and there, lying on a bench outside the cottage, was Cuphead... asleep. Bendy, after solidifying, gasped before he ran to the cup.

Mugman, after getting over the shock, slowly got up and ran over to the cup.

“Cuphead?” the mug and kitten said at the same time as they stood next to the bench.

Cuphead woke up. “Oh, hey, fellas.” He said.

“What are you doing here?” Mugman asked.

“You were supposed to be at the theater an hour ago,” Bendy said.

“Eh, I’ve been waiting here but Ludwig was a no-show.” Cuphead said with a shrug.

“But... Ludwig said you were a no-show,” Bendy said.

“Oh gosh, that’s awful,” Mugman said. “I know what it’s like to be abandoned.”

“Eh, I’m over it,” Cuphead said with a wave of his hand.

“Oh, look at us, a couple of fellas with abandonment issues,” Bendy said smiling as he wrapped his arms around Cuphead and Mugman’s shoulders and hugged them tightly with a chuckle. Then his smile dropped. “But... why did Ludwig lie and go to the recital by himself?” he wondered.

Suddenly, the boys heard a familiar ragtime piano song on the radio in the cottage. Cuphead opened the door, and the boys entered the cottage.

“Hey! That’s my song!” Cuphead shouted.

The song came from Kettle’s radio followed by an audience applauding.

“And the winner of this year’s piano competition is... Ludwig!” said the announcer.

The audience cheered.

“Ludwig!?” All three boys exclaimed.

“Tell us, Ludwig, how did you come up with this fantastic new piece?” The announcer asked.

“Oh, I’m so glad you asked that. I just play what feels right.” Ludwig answered.

“Ooooh, okay, that makes sense,” Bendy said.

“What a phony!” Cuphead said. “Someone ought to teach that jerk a lesson.”

“Yeah!” Mugman said.

SNAP

That sound came from the radio before the crash of a piano. People screamed.

“Oh dear! Ludwig has been crushed by a falling piano! Who would do such a—”

Mugman turned off the radio before the announcer could finish.

“So you were going to crush me with a piano, huh?” Cuphead questioned the mug.

Bendy’s eyes narrowed at Mugman too.

“Just a little,” the mug answered nervously.

“Eh, don’t sweat it,” Cuphead said. “I would’ve done the same thing if I were you.”

“Yeah, no judgment on revenge in this group,” Bendy said.

“Exactly. Crawdad?” Cuphead suggested holding the bucket of crawdads.

“Hmm, don’t mind if I do,” Mugman said.

The three boys sat on the floor and started snacking on crawdads.

“You know, bad as it is, it makes sense that Ludwig stole your song,” Bendy said. “The guy is about as sharp as a C major,”

“As sharp as...” Mugman said before he started chuckling. “That’s a good one,”

“I don’t get it?” Cuphead said.

“Because a C major is a key that has no sharps or flats,” Mugman said.

“Well, Ludwig’s probably flat now,” Bendy said before laughing.

Cuphead and Mugman laughed too.

Chapter Text

Three days ago...

Wilson Arch was in the crowd of spectators watching the opening of Arch Gate Pictures. The mayor was on the platform and standing next to him was the CEO of the studio, Mr. Felix Arch.

It should have been Wilson up there, but every time he applied, he was rejected.

“You’re too old!”

“Go back to your retirement home!”

“We aren't running a charity!”

They rejected him for his age and his need for a walking stick. But when his younger cousin applied, they accepted him almost immediately.

Present...

In a house in the suburbs, Wilson was in his home basement watching the demon tail in its glass jar. When he first found it, it moved wildly but now it sat limp in its prison. He then looked at the newspaper clipping on his table next to the jar. The paper had a picture of the studio opening with Felix cutting the ribbon.

“If I can only find out what demon you came from, I might be able to use it to my advantage,” Wilson said. “But how?”

He tapped on the glass, but the tail merely twitched.

“Hmmm, perhaps some fresh air will help me think,” Wilson said before he took the jar and stuffed it in his pocket.

Meanwhile...

In the underworld library, The Devil was sitting in a tall chair with a book on his lap. The fire in the fireplace cackled softly and the song “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star” played on a gramophone.

Bendy was sleeping on a pillow twice his size next to The Devil’s chair. The little devil started to whimper in his sleep, and he curled his body tighter.

The big devil saw this and realized his son was having a nightmare. He leaned down and lightly kissed his son’s forehead. Bendy froze for a moment but didn’t wake up, he smiled, started purring and his body relaxed.

Then The Devil turned his attention to his book. ‘Controlling Your RAGE’

The Devil opened the book, licked the tip of his thumb, and was about to flip the page... but suddenly ripped out the page instead. With a huge frown on his face, he ripped page after page of the book.

Henchman walked into the room pushing a serving cart with a golden kettle and two teacups.

“Hey! Looking great, boss.” The purple demon said. “Your fur’s almost all grown back.”

The Devil momentarily stopped ripping the paper and just growled in response before going back to ripping the pages out.

Henchman seemed hesitant at first before he glanced at the kettle.

“Oh! Looks like someone needs his calming chamomile tea poured in his favorite cup!” He said with a smile.

“Cup?” The Devil whispered after pausing.

Henchman picked up the golden kettle and started pouring tea into the teacup.

The Devil didn’t move, seeming to be transfixed by the sound of the tea being poured. Suddenly, the teacup morphed to look like Cuphead’s head.

“Hey, dummy!” The cup exclaimed mockingly. “I still have my soul.” He stuck his tongue out before laughing.

The Devil roared before grabbing his pitchfork and shooting fire at the cup.

Henchman froze, wide-eyed with shock, and the tray was now a pile of ash.

Bendy yawned, he stretched out his limbs and rubbed his eyes.

“Is it teatime yet?” Bendy asked sleepily.

Realizing what he had done, The Devil frowned and stabbed his pitchfork to the ground.

“That’s it!” The Devil exclaimed, seething.

Bendy flinched, now fully awake.

“I’m throwing everything I’ve got at that cup.” The Devil said.

“Head!” Henchman added.

“Thank you, Henchman.” The Devil said. “Now bring me my finest demons!”

Meanwhile...

At the Kettle Cottage, Cuphead was sweeping in the living room while cheerfully whistling.

Something from in the closet quietly snuck up behind the cup.

Cuphead, sensing something, turned around. “Huh?” he wondered.

It was Mugman... with some kind of horse head mask over his head.

Cuphead just looked at his brother, confused.

“Neigh...” Mugman said trying to imitate a horse.

“What... What are you wearing?” Cuphead asked with his eyes squinting.

“I made it,” Mugman said before taking off the horse head mask. “It’s just like that horse head that scared you when we were little.”

“What horse head?”

“The one from the hay maze, remember? You froze in terror?”

“I have never frozen in terror!”

“Sure you did. I remembered when I saw this flier.”

Mugman pulled out a flier for a hay maze in the fairgrounds today.

FLASHBACK

It was a nice fall day at the fairgrounds and there was a large hay maze. Little Cuphead and Mugman were walking around inside the maze.

“This place is a widdle spooky!” Little Mugman said.

“Ah, I ain’t too worried about it.” Little Cuphead said.

Hardly had he finished that sentence when a creepy stitched horse head appeared followed by a neighing.

The little cup gasped before he went white as a sheet and froze in terror.

“Cuphead?” Little Mugman said before tapping on his brother’s frozen face. “Cuphead! Cuphead!”

END OF FLASHBACK

“Never happened,” Cuphead said. “I ain’t afraid of no hay maze horse head! Come on. I’ll prove it to ya.” He snatched the flier from Mugman and walked to the door.

“I’ll get my coat,” Mugman said.

Wilson was in the city when he saw a flier for the hay maze in the fairgrounds taped to a light post.

“Hmm apple cider on sale,” he said. Then walked towards the fairgrounds.

Back in the Underworld, a team of the finest demons stood in line before The Devil, Bendy, and Henchman. Imagine the most horrifying monsters you can think of, and they would probably pale in comparison to these demons. Each demon looked more gruesome than the last as they hissed, growled, and roared.

“Ooh!” The Devil exclaimed excitedly and clapped.

Henchman and Bendy seemed nervous.

“Now these are some world-class demons!” The Devil said. “Ooh! This one has razor-sharp talons.” He gasped. “Oh, and this one has three heads!” he said. “Ah! And oh, hey, hey. Look at the muscles on this guy.” He felt the muscled biceps of a big demon.

Bendy gulped, thinking about these demons going after his friend. He had to try something.

“Hey Dad, I know you really want that cup kid’s soul but isn’t this a bit... much?” the little devil said.

The Devil turned to face his son. “Not at all. I’m going to get that cup’s soul even if I have to send my finest to capture him!”

“But Dad-”

“Trust me, Bendall, I know what I’m doing. Now go stand next to Henchman while I instruct these demons.”

“But-”

“Now Son,” The Devil interjected firmly.

Bendy grunted before standing next to the purple demon.

The Devil cleared his throat before turning his attention to the demons.

“So I assume you’re all wondering why I summoned you here today.” He said. “Let me tell you about this cup.”

“Head,” Henchman added.

“Thank you, Henchman.” The Devil said. “Never before have I been subjected to such criminal disrespect by a mortal. First, he lost at Soul Ball, but his dumb brother grabbed his soul and stuffed it back in, which is completely unethical after I stole it fair and square. And then they destroyed the whole carnival!”

The big devil inhaled sharply.

“Then he goes on Roll the Dice, which is impossible to lose. And wouldn’t you know it? He couldn’t name “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star.””

The Devil got angrier as he continued. Henchman and Bendy noticed this and slowly backed away before hiding behind a large rock.

“I mean, who can’t name “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little STAR”?!” The Devil yelled before bursting into flames and burning everything around him... especially the finest demons.

Henchman and Bendy peeked behind the rock and saw nothing but piles of ashes where the demons once stood. The little devil stifled back a laugh.

Just then the sound of a man scatting an upbeat tune could be heard. King Dice stepped into the room.

“Number one here,” Dice said. “Fashionably late and fashionably fashionable, as per usu—” he screamed and gasped when he noticed the ash. “What did you do!?” he asked in surprise.

“Bring me my second-finest demon!” The Devil ordered.

At the fairgrounds, there was a pumpkin patch, shop stalls, bobbing for apple area, and the hay maze.

Cuphead and Mugman were wearing grey coats and were walking toward the hay maze. They passed by Wilson, who had his back to them looking at jars of cider.

At that moment the old man felt something move in his pocket. He backed away from the stand and pulled out the jar with the demon tail. The pointed end of the demon’s tail was tapping against the glass.

TAP TAP TAP

‘Strange,’ the old man thought. ‘It’s always used the thicker end to break the glass, not the spade.’

Wilson moved the jar side to side and realized that the tail was pointing in the same direction no matter what. He looked up and noticed it was pointing towards the hay maze gate entrance. Right, where the cups were.

“Tickets, please.” The ticket taker said boredly.

Cuphead and Mugman handed over their tickets to the taker before stepping into the maze.

Curious, Wilson followed the direction the tail was pointing towards. He was about to walk into the maze, but the ticket taker stopped him.

“You need a ticket to enter, sir.” The ticket taker said.

The old man huffed before going to the ticket sales stand. He had to know what the tail was pointing towards before it was too late.

As the cup boys walked into the maze, a sheet with a ghost face painted on it moved towards them hanging on a rope.

The cup rolled his eyes. “Ooh, real scary.” He said sarcastically before laughing.

“That horse mask is gonna make you freeze in terror,” Mugman said. “Then you’ll have to admit you were afraid.” He chuckled.

Back in the underworld, the Devil was pacing and talking to his second-finest demons. Bendy, Henchman, and King Dice were standing back.

“I mean who can’t name “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”? Hmm?” The big devil said angrily. “And then he had this... this... this sweater. It was invisible and impenetrable and dumb, and I couldn’t just take his soul out and eat it before his very EYES!”

The Devil got so angry he burst into flames. Henchman, Bendy, and Dice managed to hide in time. The second finest demons were now piles of ashes and the little devil nearly burst into laughter.

“Third finest!” The Devil yelled.

A few minutes later, the big devil was squinting his eyes in disbelief when he saw the demons before him.

“These are my finest demons?” The Devil asked Henchman.

“Uh, well, now, yeah,” Henchman replied.

Bendy had to bite his lip to keep himself from chuckling.

These demons were less than impressive. One was a huge red shark monster that wheezed with every breath. A giant spider demon that didn’t look very smart. A giant red eyeball with two bat wings, though one was significantly smaller than the other. A vulture demon with a long neck. A giant red turtle with spikes and fangs. Two giant demon scorpions that kept pinching each other. And a red Cyclops with an eye patch.

“A cyclops with an eye patch.” The Devil said. “And how does that work exactly?” he asked.

The cyclops exclaimed frighteningly and growled as he marched forward... and smashed his face with a stalactite.

Bendy snickered.

“Ah. It doesn’t.” The Devil said unimpressed. Then he looked down and cringed. “Eww! And what’s this thing?”

He pointed at a small ball-shaped demon. It had red fur, two black flipper feet, big eyes, a red demon tail, and flippers for hands.

“Burpity burpity burp!” the demon chirped.

“Is that all you do?” The Devil asked annoyed.

Suddenly Burpy’s plump cheeks expanded and turned green. Then he belched, green fire shot out of his mouth, and it burned the shark demon into a pile of ashes.

The turtle demon nervously took a few steps away from the pile.

Bendy couldn’t hold it in anymore and laughed... but when he looked up and saw his father glaring at him, he faked a cough, straightened his back, and stood up with his lips closed tight.

The Devil then grumbled, pinched his brow, and snapped his face into a frown with wide eyes.

“I am so angry right now.” The big devil said. “I want to obliterate all of you, except for Bendall, but I cannot even begin to imagine the fourth-finest demons.”

“Uh, or as they’re now known, the second finest,” Henchman said.

“Thank you, Henchman!” The Devil snapped before instructing the demons and holding the wanted poster with Cuphead’s picture on it. “Look. He’s no longer wearing the protective sweater. So—”

“Which is in an undisclosed location,” Henchman interjected.

Noticing the glare in his father’s eyes, Bendy stepped in.

“Hey Henchman, I’m thirsty. Go fetch me some juice,” Bendy said.

“Uh, ok,” Henchman said quickly before flying away.

“Thank you, Henchman,” Bendy said before gesturing to his dad to continue.

“Just bring him to me, and I’ll rip out his soul.” The Devil said to the demons.

The demons didn’t move.

“Bring him back, you live!” The Devil said with a smile.

The demons still didn’t move, and the turtle demon coughed.

“Fail... and I destroy you!” The Devil threatened.

Finally, the demons moved to the exit.

“RELEASE THE DEMONS!” The Devil yelled.

The demons went out the large iron gate, a way in and out of the Underworld, and made their way to the town to find Cuphead.

The Cyclops, however, walked through some trees away from the others. Crows cawed as they flew away from him.

“Dad... Are you sure this is—” Bendy asked.

“Yes, son, it is necessary,” The Devil answered.

“But Dad...”

“Please trust me, son, I know what I’m doing.”

Bendy grumbled and walked away, looking at the ground. ‘I gotta get out of here and help the cups.’ He thought. ‘I’ll just sneak out and–’ Just then, Bendy bumped into Henchman who was carrying a glass of apple juice. The juice spilled over Bendy’s head, and his fur soaked it up. “Ehh!” he exclaimed.

“Opp, sorry Little Boss,” Henchman said.

“Oh great,” Bendy muttered.

“Henchman, take Bendall to the tub.” The Devil said. “You need to wash that juice out immediately.”

“Yes, Boss,” Henchman said. “C’mon Little Boss,” he gently pulled Bendy away.

“No, no, no, no, no,” Bendy said. He tried to pull away but was just dragged along.

The Devil pinched his brow and muttered.

King Dice walked up next to the big devil.

“Whoa, Big D, Big D, you need to relax,” Dice said, placing his hands on the big devil’s shoulders. “All this stress isn’t good for you,”

“How can I possibly relax? I still don’t have that cup’s soul.”

“Hey, the day isn’t over yet,” Dice said. “And believe me, I want you to get this kid’s soul just as much as you do. After everything he’s done to you, he deserves it.”

“Yes, he does. But I somehow doubt these demons can actually catch him.”

“Then you should keep an eye on them.”

“Yes.” The Devil said, smiling. “Those demons need supervision.”

“Right,” Dice said.

“Someone to take the lead.”

“Exactly,”

“And you are just the one to do it!” he pointed to Dice.

“Pre— wait, what!?” Dice asked.

“Yes. You want to be Number One again, don’t you?”

“Well sure I—”

“Then it’s settled. You go, get the cup, bring him here, and you get your old job back.” The Devil said, “But if you should fail. I’ll destroy you!” he leaned in closer to the stunned Dice and kissed his cheek. “Hurry along now. I’m going to take a much-needed bath.” He walked away.

King Dice stood there, frozen, with a bright blush on his face. “Whatever you say, Big D,” he said with a swoon. Then he shook his head, the blush faded, and he ran out of the gate.

Back At The Fairgrounds...

Cuphead and Mugman were still in the hay maze and Wilson was following the direction of the tail in the jar in the maze.

At that moment, the demons entered the fairgrounds and the people in the market screamed and ran when they saw the monsters, but the demons didn’t pay any attention to them.

“Tickets, plea—” the ticket taker said before he screamed and ran away.

The demons ignored the ticket taker and made their way into the hay maze.

King Dice ran from the woods and panted for a bit before running into the maze.

Cuphead and Mugman walked into some cheap and non-scary attractions.

“Oh, so scary. Lame.” Cuphead said boredly. “Ugh!”

Somewhere else in the maze, Wilson was watching the tail’s spade like it was a compass. So engrossed was he that he nearly bumped into the turtle demon. The old man gasped, and the demon flinched.

“W-what are you? Some kind of demon?” Wilson wondered.

The turtle demon nodded.

Perplexed, Wilson blurted. “Is this your tail, perchance?” he showed the tail in the jar.

The turtle glanced at the jar and shook his head before walking away from the old man.

Wilson blinked in surprise before he glanced up and noticed the eyeball and vulture demon flying over the maze.

“More demons? What are they doing in this maze?” Wilson wondered. He decided to follow the turtle demon to see what it was up to.

Somewhere else in the maze, Dice caught up with the two scorpions and the spider demon. He casually approached the scorpions from behind.

“Oh, hо! Ladies.” Dice chuckled. “I’ve been looking for you two. You know, I was just thinking. Get rid of bright boy over there, and Cuphead’s all ours.” He pointed to the spider demon.

Said spider demon was having trouble picking to go either left or right in the maze.

Both scorpions chuckled before they snuck up behind the spider.

Dice laughed while rubbing his hands together.

The scorpions raised their stingers and then plunged them into the spider. The spider demon popped out of existence.

“Ouch. You two are monsters.” Dice said with a conniving grin. “Oh, I sure hope you never turn on me!”

Both scorpions chuckled before they raised their stingers and were about to strike Dice, but he managed to step out of the way in time, and the demons ended up stinging each other. They popped out of existence.

Dice scatted joyously. “Yeah!” he exclaimed.

Cuphead and Mugman turned a corner in the maze.

“Oh brother,” Cuphead said.

Ahead of them was the turtle demon. It roared softly at them.

“This is the worst one yet,” Cuphead said before he pushed the turtle. He and Mugman just walked on him and stomped on his face.

Wilson witnessed this while hiding behind a corner. “He stopped to face them?” he wondered.

Just then, the Burpy demon walked around the corner and saw the fallen turtle demon. Without warning, Burpy belched, green flames fired from his mouth, and he burned the turtle demon to ashes.

Wilson and King Dice saw this, but unlike the old man, Dice got over the shock quickly and picked up the little demon.

“Burpy buddy!” Dice said with a chuckle. “Have I got plans for you,”

“Burpity burpity burp,” Burpy chirped.

Cuphead gave an exaggerated yawn as he and Mugman walked. Behind them was the eyeball demon.

Dice jumped up behind the eye demon just as the cup brothers turned the corner. Dice squeezed Burpy, the little demon belched, and the eyeball was burned to ash.

“Bullseye!” Dice said with a laugh. He scatted as he walked forward but when he looked around the corner, he came face to face with Wilson. Dice screamed and quickly hid Burpy behind his back while trying to catch his breath.

The old man hid his jar behind his back. “Calm down, sonny,” he said.

“You scared the—” Dice almost snapped before taking in a deep breath. “If you’re a fan just know I don’t have time for autographs, I’m busy with something.”

“Busy in a hay maze built for children. Why’s that? Are you looking for someone?”

“I— That’s none of your business,”

“You best be careful. There are demons in this maze.”

“You’re just seeing things, old timer. There are no demons here,” Dice lied.

“Didn’t anyone ever teach you to respect your elders?” Wilson said.

“Yes, I just don’t care to. See ya, gramps,” Dice said quickly before running away. Once he put some distance between them, he sighed. “Yeesh. What a creep. Now back to—” Dice looked around, but the cups had vanished. “Oh! Where did they go?”

On one of the walls of the hay maze, the vulture demon sat and spotted the cups. It flew upward and cleared its throat until it spat out orange-colored acid toward the boys. The acid missed the cup brothers by an inch, and it hit the hay wall next to them burning a large hole.

“Wow, that was kinda cool,” Cuphead said.

“Yeah, they’re adding new stuff,” Mugman said. “It’s nice for the people who come back every year, you know.”

Mugman and Cuphead climbed through the hole.

As Cuphead climbed through, a drop of acid hit his shoulder, and it sizzled through the fabric of the coat.

“Ow! Hey, that’s real acid.” The cup said. He paused before exclaiming. “Neat!”

Cuphead and Mugman kept walking, oblivious to the danger that was over their heads. Just as the vulture demon was about to spit acid again, Burpy’s fire hit him, and he burned to ash.

King Dice smiled before blowing out the smoke from Burpy’s mouth. “Looks like it’s just you and me, pal.” He said.

“Burpity Burity burp,” Burpy chirped.

Dice pulled out a feather from his pocket and tickled Burpy’s nose with it.

“Ah... Ah...” Burpy stuttered before he sneezed and blew up into ash.

“Gesundheit,” Dice said smugly as he brushed off the ash from his coat. “Now Cuphead is all mine for the taking.” He said with a chuckle.

Wilson was hiding behind a wall of hay where he saw and heard everything. “Cuphead...?” he echoed softly.

Back In The Underworld...

Henchman was watching King Dice blow up Burpy through a magic mirror just before the two devils stepped into the room.

“So, how are they doing?” The Devil asked. The big devil was wearing a towel around his horns and most of his body while the little devil wore a towel like a robe and hood.

Henchman covered the mirror at first but soon thought better. “Uh, not so good.” He said. “Dice is the only one left.” He showed the two devils King Dice dancing in the hay maze.

Bendy moved his towel over his face so the two adult demons wouldn’t see the smile on his face, he was relieved to hear his friend hadn’t been caught.

The Devil grumbled. “Then I have but one final recourse.” He said ominously. “To unleash the Four Horsemen.”

Bendy and Henchman gasped, and the little devil dropped his towel.

“B-but boss, they’re untamed primordial beings,” Henchman said fearfully. “They fear nothing! To even lay eyes on them is enough to make anyone freeze in terror!”

“Bendall, cover your ears,” The Devil said.

The little devil quickly obeyed.

“RELEASE THEM!” The Devil roared with enough force to shake the room.

“Ah jeez.” Henchman and Bendy said worriedly at the same time.

Moments later... the gate to the Underworld opened again, this time followed by hot flames bursting out and the Four Horsemen came riding out from the gate. They were a quartet of four undead, primordial, flaming demonic skeleton warriors with glowing red eyes and holding various weapons and rode on scary demonic horses. The horsemen screamed as they rode to the fairgrounds.

Cuphead and Mugman finally find the exit sign at the end of the maze.

“We’re almost through the maze, and I’m still not frozen in terror!” Cuphead said proudly.

Near the exit, King Dice chuckled softly holding a large net ready to catch the cup.

The hooves of the demonic horse shook the ground beneath them.

Cuphead had his back to Mugman, and the mug was holding the creepy stitched-up horse head.

“I don’t know, Cuphead. Anything can happen.” Mugman said.

“Heh! Oh, I think I know exactly what’s gonna happen.” Cuphead said.

Somewhere else in the maze, Wilson lost Dice and brought out the jar with the tail inside. Suddenly, the demon’s tail started twitching and wriggling like crazy. “What is it now?” he wondered. He heard horses neighing behind him, he turned around, and the old man gasped before he turned white as a sheet and froze in terror.

Mugman held the horse’s head in front of him as the cup started talking.

“What’s gonna happen is I’m gonna turn around, and you’re gonna be holding that stupid—” midsentence, Cuphead gasped before he turned white as a sheet and froze in terror.

Mugman laughed at the sight. “You’re frozen in terror, you’re frozen in terror! ~” he said in a sing-song voice as he kept laughing.

King Dice looked towards Mugman, then gasped before he turned white and froze in terror too.

Behind Mugman were the Four Horsemen.

Mugman was doing a two-step as he held the stitched horse head. “I told ya you were a little scared cup.” He said. “Hello! What? Is there something behind me?”

The demonic horses took one look at the stitched horse head, and they neighed, fearfully. They reared back and threw the horsemen off their backs before galloping away.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other after the horses ran away.

“This...” Cuphead said as he snapped out of his terror.

“Is...” Mugman added.

“The greatest hay maze of all time!” they both exclaimed cheerfully.

Close by Wilson snapped out of his terror as the jar fell from his hand. The tail pushed and rolled the jar towards the exit but before the cups could see it, the old man caught it. He then noticed the brothers walking out of the maze.

“Them again,” Wilson said scratching his chin. “Cuphead,” The tail tip was pointing right at Cuphead and Mugman. The old man smirked before following the brothers at a distance.

Outside the maze, the horsemen landed in the small pool for bobbing apples.

Horsemen Number One sighed. “That feels better.” He said.

Horsemen Number Two mumbled with an apple in his jaw.

“Horseman Number Two is right.” Said Horseman Number Three. “Our horses ran away. That means we get the rest of the day off!”

“Oh hey! They got pumpkin pie!” Horseman Number Four said.

The other horsemen cheered before they all got out of the pool and ran to get some pie. Dice was still frozen in terror on the hay maze wall.

“Lame,” said one puppy boy as he pointed at the frozen dice man.

Later...

Cuphead and Mugman were laughing as they neared the gate to the Kettle Cottage.

“Honestly, Mugsy,” Cuphead said. “when we was kids, that horse mask did make me freeze in terror. But nothing scares me anymore.”

“Not even the Devil?” Mugman asked.

The cup flapped his lips. “When was the last time we even saw that guy?” he asked. “I guess you could say I ain’t too worried about it. You should give it a shot. Feels pretty good.” He opened the front door and walked into the cottage.

““I’m not too worried about it”?” Mugman repeated and then he smiled. “Hey! That does feel pretty good!” he walked into the cottage and closed the front door.

In the Underworld, The Devil and Bendy were watching all this through the magic mirror. The Devil screamed in rage.

“Dad?” Bendy asked.

“Son.” The Devil said. “I’m about to show you that if you want something done right, you’ve got to do it yourself.”

Before Bendy could reply, The Devil slammed down his pitchfork and disappeared.

“No! NO! Come back!” Bendy cried out. “Cuphead... the elevator!” the little devil ran but when he reached the throne room, the elevator was gone. “Where’s the elevator!?” he exclaimed. He ran until he found the high staircase that led to an exit out of the Underworld. “Cuphead, please hold on till I get there,” he said softly before he ran on all fours up the stairs.

Outside the Kettle cottage, The Devil appeared and was about to reach the front door... when—

An obnoxious, familiar throat clearing made the big devil cringe.

“Excuse me!” came Stickler’s voice.

The Devil turned around and saw the green demon next to the elevator.

“Stickler! What are you doing here?” The Devil asked with a frown.

“I have recounted the souls 36 times and have yet to locate—” Stickler said.

“Yes, yes, yes.” The Devil interjected. “I didn’t get the cup’s soul yet, but I am literally just about to—”

“Furthermore,” Stickler interjected before he held up the book along with a magnifying glass. “the bylaws of Subsection 7, Paragraph 7 through 37, specifically signifies if you have failed to collect a soul within a 30-day period, the soul reverts to its original owner.”

The Devil’s eyes went wide, and his jaw dropped.

“And it has been precisely 31 days, therefore your pursuit of said soul is unauthorized.” Stickler added.

The Devil frowned for a second before he smiled. “Stickler, Stickler, Stickler.” He said, shaking his head. “I am going to get that cup’s soul one way or another.” He frowned again. “Pity you won’t be around to see it.”

The Devil pointed his pitchfork at Stickler and shot fire at him. There was an explosion and The Devil’s lips lifted into a satisfied smile thinking he had finally destroyed the green nuisance. But when the smoke cleared, Stickler appeared to be unharmed with an energy cracking over his chest before it turned invisible.

“What?!” The Devil exclaimed in disbelief. “You’re wearing the—”

“Impenetrable, invisible sweater.” Stickler interjected. “I, myself, am the undisclosed location.”

“Take it off this instant so I can obliterate you!” The Devil yelled before he slammed the pitchfork down so hard it shook the ground momentarily.

“I do not believe that would be in my best interest.”

“I WILL EAT YOUR SOUL!” The Devil roared in anger. He breathed heavily.

“Not possible because of this impenetrable—”

“SWEATER!” The Devil screamed. He screamed so loud the ground shook. “Oh, forget it.” He said defeatedly before he walked into the elevator.

Stickler followed the big devil inside just before the door closed.

DING

Just as the elevator burned to the ground, Bendy arrived at the cottage, panting and sweating.

“I’m too late,” Bendy wheezed before he fell to the ground.

Just then the front door opened and Cuphead stuck his head out.

“Hello?” the cup said. He looked around before noticing Bendy lying face down on the ground. “Bendy!” He gasped. He ran to the little devil, flipped him over, and wiped his face. “Bendy, buddy? Bendy?”

Bendy’s eyes slowly opened. “Cuphead?” he whispered with a shallow breath.

“Bendy, you okay? What happened to ya’?” Cuphead asked.

“Cuphead... do you still have your soul?” Bendy asked.

“Y-yeah I still got it,”

Bendy smiled. “Thank hell’s bells,” he said before his eyes drifted closed.

“N-no Bendy! What’s the matter with ya? Are ya hurt? Bendy!?” Cuphead said, worriedly before becoming frantic. “Bendy!?!”

Bendy’s eyes flew open. “I’m not hurt you Nitwit!... ah, sorry, I mean, Cuphead,” his eyes drifted closed again before he yawned. “I’m just tired,”

“Oh, well here,” Cuphead said before scooping Bendy into his arms bridal style. “If you’re tired you should sleep inside. Don’t want ya picked up by the bear or some creep while you’re napping.” He walked into the cottage. “Hey Mugsy, guess who I found lying in the yard.” He closed the front door behind him with his foot. “No, someone else,” he said.

Meanwhile in the elevator... The Devil and Stickler were standing next to each other but not too close.

“On the bright side, at least this day can’t get any worse.” Stickler said.

CLANK

The elevator shook before it stopped moving and the motor power went down.

Stickler sighed.

“No!” The Devil said before pushing the down button repeatedly. “No, no, no, no, no!” then he groaned. “It’s stuck,” he whined.

“Looks like we’ll be here for some time.” Stickler said.

And then the green demon started singing.

“999 million souls in the vault ~ 999 million souls ~”

The Devil face palmed and groaned as if in pain.

“Take one out, do a recount ~ 998,999,999 souls in the vault ~ 998 million— ~”

A Few Seconds Earlier...

Wilson was walking the dirt road, his arm creaking as he held onto his cane, and his breath growing wheezy.

The old man walked closer to the cottage and then hid behind a tree. He peeked over and saw the cup boy kneeling next to some black kitten boy. He couldn’t make out what they were saying or see them very well though. Old age will ruin your senses like that. Just then he felt the jar move in his pocket again. He pulled out the jar and the demon's tail tip pointed at the cottage.

After Cuphead took the kitten into the cottage and closed the door, Wilson took this opportunity to sneak closer, go through the fence door, and look through the window. There he saw the cup putting the kitten on the couch and back up. When Wilson finally saw the face of the cat creature, his eyes went wide from shock and familiarity.

“It can’t be...” Wilson muttered. “My eyes must be going because that couldn’t possibly be... him,”

“You rest up little Bendy Devil, I’ll watch over ya,” Cuphead said proudly after he placed a blanket over his sleepy friend.

Wilson gasped again. He looked down at the demon tail in the jar, the tip was pointing right at the little devil, and the old man smirked.

“So, after all these years, Drew’s darling little devil has returned to the surface world, and no sign of The Devil around.” Wilson said. “and unless I’m mistaken, this tail must be his. Or it was at least.” He definitely noticed a tail on Bendy earlier. He stared at the sleeping little devil through the window for a few seconds before walking out of the yard and away from the cottage. “And he’s even found some new friends. All this I can use to my advantage.”

The creepy smile never left his face as he fixated on using the little devil to carry out his revenge.

Chapter Text

It’s another peaceful day in the Inkwell Forest, especially at the Kettle Cottage. The sun was shining, birds were chirping, and the goat was grazing. Suddenly, the peacefulness was disrupted by the sound of punching and kicking.

Inside the cottage, particularly in Cuphead and Mugman’s room, the cup brothers were in the middle of another fight. They were in a fight cloud only pausing the fight to yell at each other.

“I’m sick of you always touching my stuff!” Cuphead yelled.

“Yeah? Well, I’m sick of your face!” Mugman yelled.

A soft breeze blew around the boys.

“Hey! Close the window!” Cuphead yelled. “You know I hate fighting when it’s drafty.”

“It ain’t open,” Mugman said.

And indeed, the window was closed.

“Well, then where’s that wind coming from?” Cuphead wondered.

Suddenly, the breeze grew so strong, it picked the boys up in the air and spun them around. The spinning soon stopped, and the boys fell to the floor.

THUD

The white bed sheet floated off Cuphead’s bed, it glowed an eerie blue, and a moaning ghostly face appeared on it.

“A g-g-ghost!” Cuphead and Mugman exclaimed before they crawled under the bed.

They peeked from under the bed and saw the ghost flying in circles.

“Why’s it here?” Mugman wondered worriedly.

“What does it want?” Cuphead wondered worriedly.

“I... yuck!” The mug felt a liquid splash under his glove. “When was the last time you cleaned under here?” Mugman asked as he tried to wipe his glove clean.

“Who cleans under the bed?” Cuphead asked.

HUFF

A gust of air hit their backs, they turned their heads and saw glowing orange-red eyes staring back at them. Followed by a sharp tooth grin.

HISS!

Cuphead and Mugman screamed before they scrambled out from under the bed. The ghost floated towards them, they backed up against the bed and the monster grabbed the boys with large black hands.

The cup boys kept screaming before the ghost removed the sheet, revealing a ghostly Chalice. And Bendy came out from under the bed still holding Cuphead and Mugman.

“Boo!” Bendy and Chalice said.

Cuphead and Mugman screamed, and Bendy dropped the brothers before turning his hands back to normal.

Bendy and Chalice laughed.

“You are good,” Bendy said.

“Oh, stop, you’re good too,” Chalice said with a bluish blush.

“Excuse you, I am bad and don’t you forget it,” Bendy said proudly.

“Chalice?” Cuphead wondered. Then he gasped before covering Bendy’s face with a pillow.

“What are you doing!?” Bendy asked as he tried to push the pillow away.

“You don’t have your cat nose painted on. What if Chalice—”

Bendy pushed the pillow away. “Cup, it’s cool. Chalice knows already,” he said.

“She does? You do? You told her?” Cuphead asked.

“She found out and she’s surprisingly okay with it, aren’t ya toots?” Bendy said.

“That’s Ms. Chalice to you, and yes. ‘Sides, it’s not like I’m one to judge what a person should be. I mean just look at me.”

“Right, you’re a ghost,” Cuphead said. “Which means I win, now fork it over, Mugsy.”

Mugman handed Cuphead a dollar from his pocket.

“Ghost? How many ghosts you know can do this?” Chalice asked before changing into her living form and started tap dancing.

“So, not a ghost,” Mugman said before snatching the dollar from the cup.

“Hmm. Would you say that you’re half a ghost?” Cuphead asked.

“Well, I’d say you’re half right,” Chalice answered.

Cuphead took the dollar back, ripped it in half, and gave one of the halves to Mugman.

“But keep it under your straw, boys. Mum’s the word. It’s a secret.” Chalice said.

“So, you got any ghost powers?” Cuphead asked.

“Ooh, yeah!” Mugman exclaimed.

“Hmm. I’d show ya, but what’s in it for me?” Chalice asked.

Cuphead and Mugman gave her the two halves of the ripped dollar bill. Chalice looked at Bendy.

“I’ve seen what you got already,” Bendy said with his arms crossed.

“Fine,” Chalice said after she put the money away and then she changed back into her ghost form.

“I can fly,” Chalice said before flying around the room. “I can disappear.” She vanished.

“What? Huh?” Cuphead and Mugman wondered.

“I can pick stuff up,” Chalice said, grabbing Mugman’s candy bag from under the bed.

“Whoa.” Cuphead and Mugman exclaimed.

“I can pass through stuff,” Chalice said after phasing through the floor.

Cuphead and Mugman exclaimed.

“What else? What else?” Chalice thought aloud. “Oh! I can do this!”

The ghost girl roared while making the scariest face imaginable. Cuphead and Mugman froze from shock while Bendy chuckled.

“And I can possess people,” Chalice said before flying and phasing into Mugman’s body.

Mugman twitched a bit before standing straight with his eyes glowing blue.

“My name is Mugman.” He said in a monotone voice. “I’m a weenie who’s afraid of everything.” He squeezed his nose, “Honk, honk.”

Cuphead and Bendy laughed at the act. Chalice then flew out of Mugman and into Cuphead. The cup twitched before he stood up straight with his eyes glowing blue.

“My name is Cuphead.” He said in a monotone voice. “My straw is bent, and I ain’t too worried about anything.”

“Yes! He says all of that.” Mugman said with a laugh.

Bendy laughed too.

Chalice phased out of Cuphead and floated in the air.

“Neat,” Cuphead said.

Chalice laughed.

“Oh, possess Bendy next, that’ll be hilarious,” Cuphead suggested.

Chalice went quiet and then looked Bendy in the eye. The little devil gave her an indifferent look with a raised eyebrow and his arms crossed. If she could, she would be sweating nervously.

“Uh, n’ah, I think you guys get the idea.” The ghost chalice said, masking her fear.

Cuphead and Mugman shrugged.

“You know, as a devil, I got some neat powers too,” Bendy said. “For instance, I can melt my body down and sink into the cracks.”

The little devil demonstrated this by melting his body into the floorboard. Only his gloves and bowtie remained. Cuphead grabbed them.

“I can climb on walls,” came Bendy’s voice. The black mass climbed on the wall and then on the ceiling over their heads.

Cuphead and Mugman had to crane their necks just to see the inky mass.

“I can change my body shape.”

Bendy’s body dropped onto the floor before morphing into a melted, deformed demon shape.

“Glowing eyes,” Bendy said before he made his eyes glow. “Make my teeth and claws sharper in an instant.” He shows off this before changing back into his true form. “Let’s see, oh, and can’t forget this,” Bendy said before roaring and making the scariest face imaginable just like Chalice did.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Chalice froze.

Bendy changed back and then cleared his throat. “I can also deepen my voice,” he said with a deeper, ominous voice.

“And I can throw it anywhere I want,”

His voice echoed around the room without him moving his lips.

“Whoa!” Cuphead and Mugman exclaimed.

“And of course possession, moving through the shadows, and for my next trick, I’ll need a volunteer from the audience!”

“Oh, me, me, me!” Cuphead exclaimed and raised his hand.

“How about... you, the mug in the blue shorts,” Bendy said before he held his hand towards Mugman.

The mug flinched and hesitated for a second before taking the little devil’s hand.

“Ah! I never get picked.” Cuphead complained.

Bendy pulled Mugman closer, spun him in a pirouette, dipped him back, and placed a hand on the mug’s chest. Mugman chuckled nervously. Once Bendy closed his fist he let Mugman fall back and, as he fell, the mug’s soul remained in the little devil’s grasp.

Cuphead and Chalice gasped as they looked between Mugman’s soul in Bendy’s grasp and Mugman’s gray body on the floor.

“Whoa! You can do that too?” Cuphead asked.

“Yepp, it’s a devil's specialty,” Bendy said before he laughed. “Ok, back in you go,” he patted the soul back into Mugman’s chest.

The mug took a deep breath as his color returned, and he slowly got back on his feet. “You could warn a guy next time. That was horrifying,” he said, shuddering.

“Sorry,” Bendy said with a shrug.

“Okay, okay! Enough showing off.” Chalice said. “Hey, you ding-dongs wanna grab some ice cream? My treat.”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” the boys said.

Later...

The four children went into the city and were getting ice cream from the Ice Cream Man. His truck was parked outside of the Inkwell Theatre.

“There you go. Enjoy your flavors of the day!” The Ice Cream Man said as he handed the children four ice creams of various flavors on cones.

“Yay!” the four exclaimed.

They started licking their ice creams.

“That’ll be one dollar.” The Ice Cream Man said while extending his hand out.

Cuphead offered the ripped dollar.

“Sorry, I don’t accept damaged currency.” The ice cream man said.

“But that’s all we have,” Cuphead said.

“Tsk, tsk, tsk.” The Ice Cream man shook his head before taking the ice cream back. “I’m afraid the flavor of the day is goodbye!” he yelled before he slammed the serving window closed and drove away.

Bendy stomped his foot down. “Darn it!” he shouted.

“Oh nuts,” Chalice said and snapped her fingers.

“I really had my heart set on ice cream,” Mugman said sadly.

Just then, Cuphead smiled as dollar signs flashed in his eyes and he scratched his chin thoughtfully. “Say, I just thought of a way we could get all the ice cream we could ever want!” He said excitedly.

“Oh yeah?” Chalice said.

“Yeah, yeah! Huddle up!” the cup said.

The four friends huddled together as Cuphead whispered his idea.

Sometime Later...

Sally Stageplay, the director, and owner of the theatre turned off the lights in the theatre. She was a skinny fair-skinned human with curly blonde hair. She was wearing a white shirt, white gloves, blue pants, black Mary Janes, and a turquoise hairband.

“Until tomorrow, dear, sweet The Theater,” Sally said before she turned to walk away from the stage.

Suddenly, there came a ghostly moaning.

Sally gasped. “Who’s there?” She asked.

The masks of comedy and tragedy flew around before the ghost Chalice roared with a scary face.

The woman screamed and ran into her office. She panted before picking up the black phone from her desk.

“Hello, this is operator service,” came a feminine voice from the phone.

“Hello, operator! I need the police right away!” Sally cried out.

“I’m so sorry ma’am but that’s gonna have to wait till after lunch...”

The voice in the phone grew eerie.

“I think I’ll be eating...you! Sally Stageplay.”

The chilling voice made the woman shudder. “W-wait. How did you—?” she wondered.

“You think that’s scary? Just look over your head,”

Sally shook with fear before she looked up and saw the little devil hooked to the ceiling.

Bendy slowly turned his head, his eyes burning like embers, before he hissed at her.

The woman dropped the phone and screamed again.

KNOCK KNOCK

“Oh, do excuse me,” Sally said politely.

“Okie dokie,” Bendy replied.

Sally went to the front doors of the theater and opened them.

Cuphead and Mugman were standing at the entrance with nets.

“Paranormal Pest Removers! They scare ‘em... We snare ‘em.” Cuphead said.

“Are you having any paranormal issues?” Mugman asked.

Without a word, Sally pulled the boys inside.

Chalice was moaning and flying in circles when Mugman jumped and caught her in his net.

Cuphead went to the office where Bendy was crouching on the desk and hissed at him. When the little devil pounced at him, the cup caught him in the net.

With the ghost and little devil in the nets, Cuphead, Mugman, and Sally walked out of the theater.

“Bravo, bravo!” the woman said cheerfully. “Wonderful job, boys.”

“Thank you very much. That’ll be 50 cents, please,” Mugman said as he held up a piggy bank.

Sally took out her coin purse from her purse and dropped two quarters into the pig. After the woman walked away, Chalice flew out of Mugman’s net and then transformed into her living form. Bendy melted down and slipped out of Cuphead’s net before morphing back into his shape.

“It’s the perfect scam,” Cuphead said. “You two go in and haunt the joint, then we come along and un-haunt it for money.”

“Boys, we got ourselves a gold mine,” Chalice said.

“With twice the scares,” Bendy added.

“And extra sprinkles,” Mugman added.

For the next several hours, Bendy and Chalice go hunt in different houses, sometimes alone, sometimes together, and scare the people inside. Whenever the residents screamed, Cuphead and Mugman would knock on the doors and offer to remove the paranormal pests for a quarter each. Before long, it was nighttime, and the children laughed triumphantly.

Bendy shook the piggy bank in his hands.

JINGLE JINGLE JINGLE

“Ah, a piggybank full of quarters, is there a sweeter sound?” he asked before hugging the pig.

“Definitely got enough for ice cream now,” Mugman said after he took the piggy bank from the little devil.

“I guess we’re done scamming,” Cuphead said.

“Unless you want those extra sprinkles,” Chalice said.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah!” The boys said while nodding.

“That’s the spirit. Now, to find one last sucker.” Chalice said.

Bendy gasped. “This one!” he said pointing at another house.

This house definitely stood out from the others in the neighborhood. It was taller, darker, older looking, and in almost total disrepair.

“It’s so creepy, half the work is done already,” Bendy said before he walked through the gate and the others followed him.

“This looks like a two-person job, don’t ya think, kitty?” Chalice asked.

“I think you’re right, toots. You take upstairs, I’ll take downstairs,” Bendy said before taking a bow. “After you, Ms. Ghost,” he said.

“Why thank you, Mister Devil,” Chalice said with a curtsy.

They chuckled.

“And we’ll see you two in a minute, paranormal pest removers,” Chalice said with a wink before she transformed into her ghost self and phased into the house.

“Gloves and tie?” Cuphead asked, extending his hand to Bendy.

The little devil took off his gloves and handed them to Cuphead but when it came to the bowtie, Bendy thought for a second before walking closer to the cup and fashioned it around his neck.

“What are you doing?” Cuphead asked. A blush on his cheeks.

“You’ll look more professional with this on,” Bendy answered before he finished the tie. “Perfect,”

As they looked at each other, Bendy started to blush too before backing away.

“Anyway, down I go,” he said before he melted down and sank through the floorboards.

Once inside, Bendy and Chalice went around the house, moaning, roaring, hissing, and chuckling darkly... but they couldn’t find anyone to scare. The house inside was dusty and disheveled, and the furniture and mirrors were broken. The only living things in the house were the spiders on the cobwebs.

“Chalice!” Bendy called out softly while in the foyer. “Chalice!”

“Bendy,” Chalice said while flying down the stairs.

“I can’t find anyone down here, any luck upstairs?”

“Nope. Nice going picking a deserted house, Bendy,”

“It looked like a good place to haunt, and you know it,”

Chalice rolled her eyes before she floated towards the fireplace.

“It doesn’t make sense though. Why would anyone abandon such a big house?” Bendy wondered.

“Yikes!” Chalice said. “Maybe these paintings scared people away.” She was looking at four paintings that hung over the fireplace.

“Let me see,” Bendy said before he climbed up the wall with his claws. “Yikes!”

There were four paintings of female vultures with red eyes and white hair tied in buns. They each had unpleasant expressions on their faces.

“Oh look, names,” Bendy said as he pointed at the names carved under the paintings.

“Hmm. Let’s see,” Chalice hummed. “Belinda, Bedelia, Bonnie, Boo-Boo. Ooh, what’s that?”

Bendy climbed higher while Chalice flew. There was a long piece of wood above the paintings with writing on it.

“We are the Birnbaum quadruplets.” Chalice and Bendy read at the same time. “Say our names to release our spirits.”

The two looked at each other before laughing.

“Yeah, right,” Chalice said.

“Sure...” Bendy said with an eye roll before he jumped down from the wall and landed on his feet.

Chalice joined the little devil on the ground and changed into her living form.

“Well, this place was a bust. Guess we’ll have to find another house.” Chalice said.

“We could hit the dock houses. They’re a little smaller but they’re probably better than this dump,” Bendy said.

Suddenly, a fire erupted in the fireplace and the candles burned.

The two gasped before they turned around and saw that the paintings of the vultures had vanished.

“They’re gone,” Chalice said.

“That can’t be good,” Bendy said.

Sinister laughter startled the chalice and little devil. The two friends turned around, and Chalice screamed.

Outside the house, Cuphead and Mugman could hear the screaming.

“You hear that?” Cuphead said. “That must be the lady of the house.”

“That’s our cue,” Mugman said.

Cuphead knocked on the door and, a few seconds later, the doors opened... but no one was there.

“I guess we’ll let ourselves in.” the cup said with a shrug.

The boys opened the door wider and saluted.

“Paranormal pest removers!” the brothers said in unison.

The cup boys frowned before they cautiously walked inside.

“Ugh. Kind of a dump.” Cuphead whispered before saying in a louder voice. “They scare ‘em, we—”

CRASH

The chandelier suddenly dropped in front of the brothers.

“Whoa!” the boys exclaimed.

“Good job, Chalice,” Cuphead whispered. “Nothing to worry about, ma’am!” he called out. “Just a falling chandelier. We see this kind of thing all the time.”

They walked past the mess and looked around for their friends.

“Okay, you check upstairs for Chalice, I’ll look for Bendy,” Cuphead whispered.

“Right,” Mugman whispered with a wink.

“My brother and I are going to look around for the paranormal pests,” Cuphead called. “You just stay calm ma’am and don’t try to stop us. We’re professionals.”

The boys split up, Cuphead headed towards the kitchen while Mugman went upstairs.

“Yoo-hoo! Miss Ghost! Come out, come out, wherever you are.” Mugman called out as he looked around the hallway.

Behind him, a dresser drawer glowed green as it floated closer to him. It hit him against his head.

“Ow!” Mugman exclaimed. When he saw the drawer, he whispered. “Good idea, Chalice,” then he cried out. “No! Get back you fiend!” he then gave a fake scream before he ran into a bathroom that didn’t have a door.

The drawer slammed against the doorway because it was too big to fit through.

“Okay Chalice, you can drop it, we’re all alone in here,” Mugman said.

Then the drawer shot one of its boxes at the mug.

“Ow!” Mugman groaned. “That one hurt!”

Another box hit the mug so hard that he was thrown against the wall and landed in the tub.

Meanwhile...

In the kitchen, Cuphead was looking around trying to find the little devil.

“Come on out, you demon!” Cuphead said as he looked under the table. “You can’t hide forever,”

The cup looked toward the door to the basement and saw a silhouette that looked like Bendy.

HISS

“Nice work, Bendy. Get ready to jump,” Cuphead whispered before he backed away, “Ah ha! I got you now!” he yelled.

The cup ran to the door, but the silhouette vanished into the darkness. The rug under his feet pulled back, the cup fell forward and tumbled down a flight of stairs into the basement before landing on the ground.

THUD

Cuphead groaned and rubbed his head.

“Take it easy, Bendy, that could’ve killed me,” Cuphead yelled softly. Then he yelled, “Come on you fiend, gimmie your best shot!”

Just then a giant black hand grabbed the cup. Its fingers squeezed around his chest.

Cuphead lightly hit the arm with his net. “Take this you demon!” he yelled.

The fingers squeezed tighter. Cuphead could feel the air being pushed out of his body and his bones bending.

“Okay, okay! Now take— Ow! Take it easy, buddy!” Cuphead yelled. He hit the arm harder, but the squeezing wouldn’t stop. “Seriously, stop!”

Suddenly, the hand squeezed Cuphead so tightly that he popped out of the grip, shot out through the ceiling, and landed in the foyer. At that moment, the ceiling above Cuphead caved in, and a bathtub dropped and crashed into the floor, inches from the cup.

Mugman, inside the tub, lifted himself and groaned before he spotted his brother.

“Cuphead?” Mugman asked. “Are you okay?” he asked. “I think Chalice is taking her act a little too far.”

“Yeah, Bendy is really laying it on thick downstairs,” Cuphead said as he slowly got up before flinching and grabbing his side. “I think he bent my ribs.”

“C-C-C-Cuphead... Look.” Mugman said with a stunned look on his face as he pointed his finger upward. Two paintings of Chalice and Bendy with frightened expressions on their faces were now hanging over the fireplace.

Cuphead gulped. “But if those two are in those paintings, then that means this house really is...”

“Haunted,” Mugman said fearfully.

Sinister laughing came from behind the boys and when they turned around, they saw four female vulture ghosts floating toward them with glowing red eyes.

“So these are real g-g-ghosts?” Cuphead asked with tears in his eyes.

“Ya-huh,” Mugman answered with tears in his eyes too.

“This is terrible!” Cuphead whined.

“I just wanted ice cream!” Mugman sobbed.

The brothers stopped crying when they heard the vultures cackling. The ghosts circled above them, and the brothers shook with fear as they embraced.

“We’re the p-p-paranormal pests removers.” Mugman stuttered.

“Are—Are you having any p-p-paranormal issues?” Cuphead stuttered.

“Why, yes! We’ve been trapped in that painting for 100 years.” Belinda said.

“Waiting for someone to take our places,” Bedelia added.

“Can you help with that?” Bonnie asked.

“All right, you let our friends out of those paintings this instant!” Cuphead demanded, trying to hide his shaking voice.

The four ghosts just laughed.

“Oh, we couldn’t possibly,” Bonnie said. “It’s our turn to go out into the world and have some fun.”

“Do you have any idea what it’s like to be trapped in the same house with your sibling day in and day out?” Boo-Boo said.

Cuphead and Mugman glanced at each other for a second.

“Yes.” The cup brothers answered with deadpan expressions.

“Good! Then you’ll be used to it,” Boo-Boo said. “‘Cause whoever’s in the painting at the stroke of midnight stays trapped in there for the next 100 years.” she laughed.

Cuphead and Mugman looked at the clock and it eleven fifty-five.

“That’s in five minutes,” Mugman said meekly after he gasped.

Cuphead frowned and walked towards the vulture ghost, Bonnie.

“Now, listen here, lady.” Cuphead said, “We’re gonna get our—”

Bonnie slammed a painting frame over Cuphead. She lifted the frame to reveal that the cup was now trapped inside.

“Cuphead!” Mugman cried out.

“Haha. Three down, only one more to go,” Boo-Boo said before she reached for Mugman.

The mug backed away but saw another ghost vulture trying to slam the last frame over him. He dodged it in time, ran to the fireplace, and grabbed the painting of Chalice. He slammed it down on Belinda and she replaced Chalice in the painting. The chalice girl jumped out of the painting.

“Chalice!” Mugman said happily.

The ghosts laughed and the children ran. Bonnie cut them off with the painting of Cuphead. Chalice transformed into her ghost self, phased into the floor, flew behind Bonnie, grabbed the painting, and slammed it over the vulture ghost.

Cuphead jumped out of the painting.

“Cuphead! I was just—” Mugman said before Boo-Boo slammed an empty picture frame over him.

Chalice flew over the fireplace and got the Bendy painting.

“Cuphead! Catch!” Chalice called out before she threw the painting towards the cup.

Boo-Boo slammed a painting over Chalice, trapping her and freeing Belinda.

Cuphead caught the painting of Bendy.

“Come to Mama!” Bedelia shouted.

Cuphead dodged her and Bedelia got trapped in a frame by Belinda.

Boo-Boo tried to trap Cuphead but missed and destroyed the painting frame.

“Oh no!” Boo-Boo exclaimed.

“You broke it, you idiot!” Belinda yelled.

“We still have three more. That should be plenty.” Boo-Boo said.

Soon everyone was going back and forth with the painting frames. Bendy got replaced by Boo-Boo, Belinda got replaced by Mugman, and so on, and in the process, two more frames were destroyed.

Only one minute left till midnight.

Cuphead and Mugman stood in front of the fireplace and the four vultures chuckled. Belinda was holding the last empty painting frame.

“Well, it would seem that there’s only one frame left,” Belinda said. “but it’s still big enough for the two of you.”

“Where did Bendy and Chalice go?” Mugman asked.

“See you in 100 years!” Belinda said.

Just as she was about to slam down the frame, two large inky hands rose through the floorboards and caught the frame before it reached the cups. A head with demon horns formed followed by sharp teeth that snarled at the ghosts.

Belinda shrieked and dropped the frame. Chalice caught the frame.

“Uh oh!” the ghost vultures said in unison.

The chalice ghost slammed the frame over the vultures.

The ghosts vultures screamed before they were silenced, and the clock chimed when it struck midnight.

Bendy changed back into his little devil self as Chalice held up the painting.

“I got a lot of plans for these next 100 years, and I don’t wanna spend ‘em trapped in a painting,” Chalice said.

The four vultures could only stare back motionless in the painting.

“I’ll take that,” Bendy said before he took the painting from Chalice. “I got a perfect place in mind for this back home.”

“You want to take that to the Underworld? Why?” Cuphead asked.

“Just because,” Bendy said with a shrug.

The children walked out the front door.

“I don’t know about you weirdos, but I’m done hauntin’ for one night,” Bendy said.

“Yeah. Whadda ya say we get some ice cream already?” Chalice suggested.

“Ooh! With extra sprinkles.” Mugman added cheerfully.

“Hey, wait a minute. Where’s our piggy bank?” Cuphead asked.

They checked their pockets, but no one had it.

“Did we leave it in the house?” Mugman asked.

Bendy gasped.

Everyone saw the little devil staring at the painting horrifically.

“What is it?” Cuphead asked.

Bendy pointed at the painting silently.

The cup kids looked where he was pointing at and there, at the top center behind the vultures, was the piggybank smiling back at them.

Then the four children screamed so loud it could be heard across the Inkwell Isle.

“NOOOOOOOO!”

Chapter Text

Bendy, in his kitten disguise, was walking up the dirt path to the Kettle Cottage. He took all the letters from the cottage mailbox. He stuffed one letter into his pocket before he took the rest of the letters for the kettle family in his hands to the open front door.

BUZZ

Bendy turned his head and saw a fly flying next to him.

“Hi fly,” Bendy said.

The fly lifted his hat. “Mornin’,” he said. Just as the fly turned his head, his eyes widened, and he screamed. He flew away just before a rolled-up newspaper came toward him.

Bendy was then pulled in by Elder Kettle before the door was slammed shut. Kettle turned around, still holding the newspaper in one hand, and Bendy’s arm in the other.

“What did I tell you two about leaving the front door open?” Kettle said.

“Mr. Kettle...” Bendy said.

“You know how I feel about varmints.”

“Mr. Kettle...”

“How many times do I have to tell you boys—”

“MR. KETTLE!”

“Yes, Bendy?” Kettle asked.

“The boys aren’t here,”

Kettle blinked before he looked and saw that the kitten was right. The boys weren’t in the living room.

“Oh, well where are they?” Kettle wondered.

CRASH

“What in tarnation?” Kettle asked.

Cuphead and Mugman stuck their heads out from the kitchen.

“Don’t come in!” Cuphead said.

“We’re making you a surprise!” Mugman said.

“A surprise?” Kettle wondered. “Hmm. Well, I do love surprises.”

“Can I have my arm back now?” Bendy asked.

“Oh, sorry,” Kettle said before he let the kitten’s arm go.

“I got your mail for ya,” Bendy said before he handed the letters to Elder Kettle.

“Aw, how thoughtful, thank you,” Kettle said before taking the letters. “Is this all of it?”

“Yes sir.”

“Psst, Bendy...” came a whisper.

The kitten turned his head and saw Cuphead beckoning him into the kitchen.

“Excuse me,” Bendy said before he walked into the kitchen.

Kettle giggled and sat on his chair before he went through the mail.

“So, what are you weirdos really up to?” Bendy said.

“Nothin’,” Cuphead said.

“What do you mean nothin’?” Mugman asked. “We really are making Elder Kettle a surprise.”

Mugman was stirring some pink frosting in a bowl. There were baking supplies and a cake on the kitchen table.

“Oh right,” Cuphead said.

“Oh, I see, is this a make-up cake or a bribe cake?” Bendy asked before walking to the table.

“Bribe,” Cuphead answered, “And it’s almost perfect,”

The cup used a frosting bag to spread more frosting on the cake. Mugman was placing cherries on the cake.

“Hey Bendy, could you grab a can of frosting? It’s in the cupboard over there,” Cuphead said.

“Alright,” Bendy said before he walked over to the cupboard.

The kitten opened the cupboard and spotted the cans to the right but when he looked to the left, he saw a brown rat opening a can with a can opener.

The rat was wearing greenish-brown overalls with yellow stripes on the sides, white gloves, and a Pickelhaube helmet on his head.

Bendy loudly cleared his throat.

The rat turned his head. “Guten tag.” He said to the kitten.

“Ah, guten tag ratte!” Bendy said, speaking in German. “Um... Ist das die Dose-... Ah, Zuckerguss?”

The rat shook his head and pointed at the brown can.

Bendy picked up the can of chocolate frosting.

“Danke,” He said.

“Bitte,” The rat replied.

Bendy closed the cupboard and walked back to the table. He set the can of frosting on the table.

“What was all that gibberish you were saying?” Cuphead asked.

“That wasn’t gibberish, it was German,” Bendy said.

“You speak German?” Mugman asked.

“Ja. Anyway, I was just talking to that rat in the cupboard.”

“Oh,” the brothers said before they went wide-eyed.

“Rat in the cupboard!?!” Cuphead and Mugman shouted before they pulled Bendy along their way to the cupboard.

“Where?” Cuphead whispered.

Bendy pointed at the bottom door of the cupboard. The boys could hear tools whirring, sizzling, and tapping.

The cup opened the door, and they all saw the rat welding under a soup can.

“Hey! Who are you?” Cuphead asked opposingly.

“Geben Sie hier Ihren Namen und Ihr Unternehmen an!” Bendy said.

The rat slipped out from under the can. “The name Werner Werman.” He said, speaking in English with a German accent. “I hereby claim ownership of this cottage and all its contents. You will leave immediate!” he grabbed a wrench and slipped back under the can.

Bendy pulled the rat out by the foot from under the can. “And if we say nein?” he asked with indifference.

“Then I’ll be forced to use force,” Werner said before he hit Bendy’s finger with the wrench.

Bendy just laughed. “Is that all you got, squeaky?” he asked mockingly.

“Nein,” the rat answered before he pulled a lever, and the can cocked in the direction of the boys. A brown boot kicked the boys, and they crashed into the oven. They popped out of the stovetops.

Werner stuck his nose up at them before he closed the cupboard with his boot.

“What kind of rat has gadgets?” Cuphead asked.

“What was that noise?” Came Elder Kettle’s voice.

Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy went to the doorway to look at Kettle.

“Nothing’s wrong!” Bendy called out.

“Don’t come in!” Cuphead called out.

“It’s a surprise!” Mugman called out.

“Oh, right!” Kettle said before giggling.

The boys went back to the kitchen.

“We should tell Kettle the truth,” Mugman said.

Cuphead pushed a chair against the cupboard door and sat on the chair.

“No way! Then we’ll get the blame.” Cuphead argued.

Just then the boot kicked the door open and kicked Cuphead away again. The cup crashed into the stove and the boot went back into the cupboard.

Mugman put the chair back against the cupboard and sat on the chair.

“But we deserve the blame,” the mug said. “We left the door open.”

Cuphead and Bendy sat on the chair with Mugman.

“We don’t know if that’s how it got in,” Bendy said.

“That is how I got in,” Werner said from the top of the cupboard. Just as he had finished that sentence, the boot kicked the boys.

Elder Kette, who had just fallen asleep, woke up to a crashing sound coming from the kitchen. The boys stuck their heads out of the kitchen, they looked and sounded like they were in pain.

“Nothing’s wrong!” Cuphead called out.

“Don’t come in!” Mugman called out.

“It’s a surprise!” Bendy called out.

“Hey, are those pain stars spinning around your heads?” Kettle asked.

The three boys waved the stars away.

“Huh? What?” Cuphead asked.

“No,” Bendy said.

“What stars?” Mugman asked.

The boys smiled before they slipped back into the kitchen.

Kettle shrugged and read the newspaper.

“Great,” Cuphead said. “Since we let that varmint in, now it’s an apology cake, instead of a do-something-nice-for-Kettle-so-he’ll-do-something-nice-for-us cake.”

“We should tell Kettle what we did,” Mugman said.

“Or, counter thought,” Bendy said. “We don’t tell Kettle and just take care of it ourselves before he even notices,”

“I like it. I vote for Bendy’s plan,” Cuphead said.

“But this rat—” Mugman said.

“He’s only this big,” Bendy interjected. “We can deal with this all on our own.”

A little time passed, and the boys covered the kitchen floor with loaded rat traps.

“Huh! Let’s see him get around the kitchen now.” Cuphead said.

The boys were standing on one side of the room and on the other side was the kitchen table with the cake. Werner used a metal spring to lower down from the ceiling and stepped on the table next to the cake.

The boys gasped.

“Oh! Someone has left a perfectly good cake completely unattended,” Werner said.

“Don’t touch that cake!” Cuphead yelled.

The boys hesitated for a second before tiptoeing around the traps to reach the table.

“I think I will give it a lick,” Werner said before sticking out his tongue.

The boys sped up their attempt to reach the table, setting off a few traps along the way. Just as the rat was about to lick the cake, the boys got desperate and jumped. They fell inches from the table and landed on several rat traps. The boys grunted as the traps pinched them.

“Oopsies,” Werner said before running away... but not before he gave the cake a quick lick.

“Yeah, you’d better run!” Cuphead yelled with a groan before he pulled a rat trap off his face. “Ooh! I hate that rat!”

“Can we tell Kettle now?” Mugman asked.

“No!” Cuphead and Bendy yelled.

“Okay, Bendy, you guard the cake. Me and Mugsy will get the rat,” Cuphead said.

“Got it,” Bendy said with a salute before he took a metal pipe and guarded the cake.

Meanwhile, Cuphead grabbed the rolling pin and Mugman got the pan. The brothers go to the cupboard ready to hit the rat once they see him.

“Gotcha! Huh?” Cuphead said opening the cupboard doors, but Werner wasn’t there. “Where’d he go?”

Mugman wondered too until he spotted the rat in Cuphead’s milk. He aimed for the rat, but he accidentally hit the cup.

“Ow! What gives?” Cuphead asked.

“The rat was right there,” Mugman said. Werner popped out from Mugman’s milk.

“Don’t move!” Cuphead said as he raised his rolling pin, he struck but it hit Mugman’s head. “Ooh, sorry, Mugsy, I— Oh!” he said before getting hit by Mugman.

Soon the two were hitting each other aiming for the rat who kept popping out of their heads. After several strikes, the boys knocked each other out and fell on their backs.

“He’s good,” Bendy whispered.

Later...

Werner was eating some cheese in a mouse hole in the wall.

Cuphead now had a horn and was kneeling in front of the mouse hole. He winked at Bendy and Mugman who nodded back at him. The cup stuck the horn mouth into the hole.

Werner pushed a stick of dynamite into the horn and lit the fuse with a match as he chewed on his cheese.

Cuphead tried to blow the horn, but no sound came out. He pulled out the horn just as the fuse ran out on the dynamite stick. One brief explosion later, Cuphead looked at his friends before milk leaked out of the cracks in his head.

Later...

Mugman tried to hit the rat with the broom but missed.

“Ah, yoo-hoo!” Werner said before he jumped into a jar and closed the lid.

Mugman opened the lid, but Werner wasn’t there. The rat popped out of the next one before he went back in. Mugman chased him, opening all the lids from the three jars until Werner got him with the boot.

The rat laughed before he went back into the mouse hole.

Bendy growled, then he grabbed a fire poker and struck it into the mouse hole aiming to stab the rat.

Werner managed to dodge the stabbing just before the spike of the poker hit the wood of the wall.

Bendy tried to pull the poker but it was stuck. Suddenly, after another tug, he managed to pull the fire poker out... and there were lit dynamite sticks tied to it. They blew up in Bendy’s face and the little devil coughed up smoke.

After a few minutes, the boys came up with another plan.

Mugman grabbed a chunk of cheese and slipped it over his hand. He walked his hand on two fingers into the hole, his hand posing in a raunchy fashion. But the rat simply hit the hand with a mallet.

“Yeow!” Mugman yelled as he pulled his red swollen hand back.

Bendy hissed. “I’m gonna kill that rat!” he yelled.

“Shh! Elder Kettle’s gonna hear you,” Cuphead whispered.

“Hear us? He’s gonna kill us.” Mugman said. “Look what we’ve done to his kitchen.”

The kitchen was in bad shape. Random little fires everywhere, splat stains on the wall, rat traps all over the floor, and several things were broken.

“Nah. How can he be mad when he sees the delicious surprise cake we made him?” Cuphead asked confidently.

Suddenly, they heard Werner moaning. The boys turned their heads and gasped.

The rat, rubbing his now plump belly, sat on the table with his lips covered in frosting. He ate the surprise cake!

“Elder Kettle’s surprise cake!” the boys yelled.

“You dirty rat!” Cuphead yelled.

Bendy growled as he pounced on the table and stared down at the rat.

“You’re gonna die now,” Bendy said ominously.

The rat belched and shrank back to its normal size. “I am not scared of a kitten with a hissy fit,” Werner said.

“Ah, but what hisses more than a kitten?” Bendy asked with a wicked grin.

Before the rat could respond, Bendy’s body liquified and he morphed into the form of a black rat snake with a yellow bowtie around its neck.

“Uh oh,” Werner muttered before he jumped and ran away.

Bendy hissed before he chased Werner into the mouse hole.

“Get ‘em, Bendy! Get ‘em!” Cuphead yelled encouragingly.

Cuphead and Mugman could hear the rat and the little devil within the walls. Scurrying, grunting, slithering, and hissing coming through the wood.

“Come on Bendy. You can get him,” Cuphead whispered.

Suddenly, there was a—

POP

Then silence.

“Bendy!” Cuphead yelled softly. “Bendy!”

Just then they heard whistling coming from within the walls... but it wasn’t Bendy’s song. It was “Erika”, the German soldier’s song. The rat came down from a hole in the ceiling with a spring device.

Cuphead slowly shook his head. “No,” he muttered before he yelled. “Where’s Bendy, you rat!?”

“Don’t worry, I got the Kleiner Teufel right where I want him,” Werner said with a chuckle.

“Why you dirty, rotten little—”

The two cup boys ran towards the table.

Werner grabbed the blender and used it to shoot forks and knives at Cuphead and Mugman. The utensils came flying out, hit the brothers, and the cup brothers ended up stuck to the wall thanks to the utensils. They tried to wriggle their way out but to no avail.

“Oh, boys!” came Kettle’s voice.

“Don’t come in! Don’t come in!” Cuphead and Mugman shouted.

Kettle stepped into the kitchen. “Is it time for my—” he said before he screamed. “AHHH!”

“Surprise!” Cuphead and Mugman wailed as they started sobbing.

“This is my surprise?” Kettle asked gesturing around the messy kitchen. “I was hoping for a cake.” He said, sounding disappointed.

“It was a cake, but...” Cuphead said.

“The rat ate it,” Mugman concluded.

“Did you say... rat?” Kettle asked angrily.

“We left the door open,” Mugman admitted.

Kettle grumbled. “No varmint eats my surprise cake.” He hissed.

“This is no ordinary varmint,” Cuphead said.

“Well, this is no ordinary kettle,” Kettle said.

There came the sound of cannon fire.

“Incoming!” Kettle yelled. He quickly grabbed the frying pan and used it to shield him from the utensils flying towards him. Kettle growled looking at the rat.

Werner growled back.

The kettle opened his lid, dropped the utensils inside of himself, and used his spout to fire the utensils back at the rat.

Werner narrowly dodged the utensils and then he grabbed a kitchen knife.

Kettle gasped before the rat chased him with the knife.

Then the kettle chased the rat with the frying pan.

“Careful Kettle, don’t kill him!” Cuphead yelled.

“Why not?” Kettle asked while being chased by Werner holding a meat cleaver.

“He’s got Bendy hostage somewhere and he won’t say where he is,” Cuphead explained.

“Got it!” Kettle said while chasing Werner with the hand mixer.

Kettle chased the rat into the closet under the stairs and Kettle closed the door.

“A-ha! Now tell me where you hid Bendy and maybe I’ll let you... go?” Kettle said before the ground started shaking.

Then a saw cut a hole in the closet door and Werner came out, riding a tank made of a soup can. He drove the tank over the kettle’s right foot.

“Yow! My foot!” Kettle howled in pain.

Then Werner drove his tank over the kettle’s left foot.

“Yow! My other foot!” Kettle howled.

Werner stopped his tank at the other side of the living room.

“It is useless!” Werner declared. “You and your boys will never see Bendy again and your cottage will be mine!”

“Over my dead body,” Kettle said.

“My sentiments exactly.” The rat said before slipping on a pair of blue goggles over his eyes. “Auf wiedersehen!” he drove the soup can tank towards the old kettle.

“What?” Kettle wondered.

Werner’s tank deployed saws, cannons, and a spear.

Kettle screamed and his nose whistled at the sight.

The rat laughed triumphantly.

“Ah!” Kettle said, smiling.

Werner gasped.

Kettle stomped down on the floorboard and Werner was propelled up. His tank flew into the kitchen and the rat’s head hit the ceiling. The spike on his helmet got stuck to the wood, leaving the rat hanging.

“Surrender, varmint?” Kettle asked smugly.

“I suppose you have left me no options,” Werner said sadly.

The kettle chuckled.

“Except this one,” Werner said, smiling. He pushed a button on his helmet that detached the spike from the rest of his helmet. The rat laughed as he dropped into a hole in the floor.

Kettle seethed with anger until he heard the boys’ muffled screams and ran into the kitchen. He gasped.

Cuphead and Mugman now had dynamite sticks in their cups and their mouths. Werner stood on a knife stuck to the wall and he was holding two matches.

“Well, well, well, which will it be, huh?” Werner asked smugly. “Your precious cottage or your precious cups?”

Kettle bit his bottom lip. “All right, varmint, you win.” He said defeatedly. “My cottage is yours. Here, take the deed.” He held up a rolled-up piece of paper in his hand.

Cuphead and Mugman spat out the dynamite sticks from their mouths. “Elder Kettle, no!” they cried out.

Werner hopped off the knife to the table where Kettle unfolded the deed.

“Very smart of you, mein Kettle.” The rat said. “Now, to sign the deed.”

“Oh, here, use my pen,” Kettle said casually.

“Danke.” Werner said. He noticed too late that Kettle handed him a lit dynamite stick.

BOOM

Kettle, Cuphead, Mugman, and the kitchen were now covered in gunpowder. A glass bottle fell from the ceiling and smashed against the floor. The black liquid from inside the bottle seeped into the floorboard.

Werner was now charred, and his tail fell off.

“Ow, that really hurt!” Werner yelled... in an American accent. “You know what? Forget this, I’m outta here. Nothin’s worth this!”

The rat grabbed his tail, hopped into his damaged soup can tank, and drove away.

“That’s right, run away, and don’t come back!” Kettle shouted.

Suddenly, some floorboards popped from the floor, and Bendy rose with a roar. He had his nose drawn on his face and his sock tail over his real one.

“Where’s that rat!?” the kitten yelled with blazing eyes. “I’ll tear him to pieces!”

Werner flinched and drove away faster.

“Ah-ha!” Bendy shouted after spotting the rat. He pounced but was stopped by Kettle who grabbed his tail. “Hey!”

“Bendy, that won’t be necessary,” Kettle said. “Let him go.”

“But he—”

“I understand that you want revenge but killing an enemy willing to surrender is not the honorable thing to do,” Kettle said before letting the kitten’s tail go.

Bendy looked back at the rat and then back at the kettle before he huffed and turned his back on the rat.

“The honorable thing stinks,” Bendy said with a pout.

“I know,” Kettle said. “But it’s good for your soul,”

Bendy rolled his eyes.

Then Kettle sighed before picking up the flaming newspaper and sat down on a chair.

“Close the door, boys,” Kettle said. “You know how your Elder Kettle feels about varmints.”

But the explosion got rid of all the doors and windows leaving only a burnt remnant of the Kettle Cottage.

Later That Night...

Bendy was in his bedroom in the Underworld with a letter in his hand. He lied to Kettle before about giving him all the letters but surely it was okay to take one with his name on it. He took it and kept it to himself. After he found a private place, he read the letter.

“Dear Bendy, Linda and I will be visiting family in Inkwell City for Thanksgiving, and we’ll be staying till January. Hope to see you around. Signed Henry Stein.” Bendy read the letter and smiled from ear to ear.

Meanwhile...

In the basement in a house by the docks of Inkwell City, Wilson was talking to Werner.

“You were supposed to bring me either the little devil or the deed to the cottage and you come back empty-handed?” Wilson asked.

“I nearly had both! It’s not my fault! That stupid kettle tricked me.” The rat said. “Just look what he did to my tail,” he showed the tail barely held to his backside by a band-aid.

“Excuses,” Wilson sighed. “Still, you have given me plenty of information I can use.”

“Yeah, so I’m just gonna go now,” Werner said, backing away. “Have a nice life! Bye! AH!”

Wilson caught the rat by the tail.

“You can’t leave without your payment,” the old man said.

“Oh no no, you don’t have to give me anything,” Werner said hurriedly. Worried about the old man’s intentions. “If you just let me go, I’ll call us square,”

“No, I couldn’t possibly,” Wilson said. He grabbed the jar with Bendy’s tail and a blackened T-bone inside. He unscrewed the lid and pulled out the bone.

Werner quickly pieced together what was about to happen before he pulled out a smoke bomb from his pocket.

“Es lebe Deutschland!” Werner cried out before he threw the smoke bomb and-

BOOM

The smoke filled the room, Wilson coughed and tried to fan away the smoke with his hand. When it cleared, the old man saw that the rat was gone and realized he had escaped. He grumbled before closing the lid of the jar. Then he spoke while looking at the tail inside with a smile on his face.

“Sleep well tonight, little devil, you’ll need your strength to carry my plans very soon,”

Chapter Text

It was around midnight when Bendy was asleep in his bed. Sadly, it was not a peaceful slumber. He was tossing and turning, sweat forming on his forehead, and he gasped for air.

In his nightmare, Bendy was trapped in a glass jar with the lid sealed tight. There was a blindingly bright light over his head, and then a ghost from his past appeared.

Old man Wilson Arch. Except he's a giant and smiled down wickedly at the trapped little devil. Just as he's about to grab the jar—

Bendy woke up. After realizing it was only a nightmare, the little devil curled up under the covers, grabbed his pillow, and screamed frustratingly into the fabric. He threw the covers off, jumped off his bed, and started pacing on the floor.

"Why is that old fart haunting my dreams!?!" Bendy wondered frustratingly. "Why?"

He then walked over to his drawing desk. It was like the kind they use at animation studios, and he had one made for... nostalgic reasons.

He looked at the letter from Henry he had left there and his drawings. There were drawings of people he knew in pie-cut eye cartoon styles. There were ones of The Devil, Henchman, some demons, and even some Inkwell civilians.

"If I can't sleep then I'll find something else to do tonight," Bendy said. "Now what are my options?" He flipped through some of his drawings until he spotted the one he made of the Butcher Gang.

"Hmmm," he hummed while scratching his chin. "What did happen to you bums?"

Bendy quickly changed into his day clothes, snuck out of his room, went to one of his father's magic mirrors, and tapped on the glass.

"Okay magic mirror, show me the Butcher Gang now," Bendy ordered in a whisper.

The glass in the mirror rippled like water before showing Bendy what he had asked for. In the mirror, Bendy saw the gang members but the way they looked was unexpected.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar were tied up, unconscious, and held in what looked like a small, dirty basement.

"Whoa," Bendy muttered. "They're held captive." he snickered. "Who's got them captive?"

The glass rippled again before showing Carley Slicer applying black lipstick over her lips.

"Oooh, her again," Bendy said with a devious smile. "Where are they?" he asked before he tapped the glass again.

The mirror's image rippled before showing a shack on the outskirts of town.

Then Bendy got an idea. A way to cope with his restlessness.

"I'm going hunting," Bendy said.

An Hour Later...

Bendy was on the outskirts, near the forest, making his way to Slicer's place.

It looked like a simple wooden house, but the windows and front door were boarded up, there were a bunch of signs that said, 'No trespassers' or 'Stay Away', the wooden fence was fifteen feet from the house, and the ground around the house was oddly lumpy in random places.

"I guess she doesn't entertain much," Bendy said while leaning on the fence.

Bendy walked around the fence and found an old, convertible pickup truck. All that was in the trunk was some tools and a car jack. He hopped over the fence while keeping an eye on the shack. He took a step, and his foot stepped on one of the lumps of dirt-

BOOM

The little devil was blown into the air, and he crashed into a tree. He landed on his stomach against a branch.

"Of course. No yard is complete without landmines." Bendy groaned.

A few seconds later, a familiar ghost woman phased through one of the boarded windows and roared with a scary expression on her face.

"WHOSE THERE!?" Carley roared.

Hearing the voice, Bendy scrambled.

The ghost woman looked left and right before she flew over to where the mine exploded. She spotted a rustling in a tree, flew towards it, and looked around trying to find her victim. But she didn't see anyone. She spotted a hole in the tree and peeked inside, but it was pitch-black in there.

Carley shrugged before flying back to the house.

Bendy's eyes popped out of the hole in the tree before he slipped out and transformed back into his little devil form. He bit his lip for a second before he had an idea. He transformed into his snake form, slithered down the tree, and moved towards the house. Bendy slipped through the fence, moved easily around the lumps of dirt, and didn't stop until he reached the shack. He found a mouse hole in the wall, slithered in, and soon made it inside.

The house lacked furniture saved for a table, a stove, and a wooden coffin lying flat on the floor. There were slash marks on the walls as if an animal with large claws had scratched them. But there were also knives stuck to the walls.

Bendy stayed in the mouse hole when he spotted the ghost woman.

Carley transformed into her living self, stretched out her arms, and yawned. She slipped into the coffin, closed the lid, and, before long, a snoring sound emitted from inside the coffin.

Bendy changed back into his little devil self and tiptoed across the floor.

CREAK

The little devil froze after the board creaked under his foot and he noticed the snoring stopped. It was quiet for a second before the snoring started again.

Bendy resumed his sneaking until he found the basement door under the table. He opened it and crept down the steps. He found the Butcher Gang members tied up and unconscious on the floor. Bendy prowled closer to Charley and that was when he noticed a black kiss mark on the man's cheek. Bendy looked at Barley and Edgar but they didn't have kiss marks.

This could only mean one thing.

"Carley likes Charley...?" Benday whispered before he gagged. He shook his head. "Charley?" He pulled the man's head up with his ear. "Charley, can you hear me?"

Charley's face hit the floor when Bendy let his ear go. Bendy pried the man's left eye open and saw that the pupil was snoring. He checked Barley and Edgar's eyes, and it was the same with them.

"Out like a light," Bendy whispered before he noticed a blue liquid coming from the corner of the spider's mouth. He wiped it up, smelled it with his tongue, and then he suppressed a cough. "That's gotta be what's keeping them asleep."

He rested his elbow against Edgar's stomach and scratched his chin.

'There's got to be a way to get them out of here without waking the ghost upstairs.' Bendy thought. 'I just need to be subtle.'

Later...

Bendy shoved the car jack under the house from the front yard and turned the handle. The shack slowly rose on one side and the little devil didn't stop until the building was at a 40-degree angle.

After locking the jack in place, Bendy jumped into the basement, grabbed Edgar, and threw him in the yard. The other two piled on top of the spider. Bendy climbed out, picked up the gang, and carried them across the yard before throwing them over the fence.

One by one, the men landed in the trunk.

Bendy headed to the front seat and looked for the keys.

As the little devil searched, a bird holding an acorn flew overhead. A stiff wind hit the bird, making him drop his acorn, and it fell right into Charley's mouth. The man coughed before he spat the nut out.

Charley's eyes fluttered open and he groaned.

"Please... no more porridge..." the man muttered.

"Aha! Here's the key!" Bendy said.

Charley's eyes widened. "That voice..." he said. "I know that voice," He tried to move his arms but found them tied to his sides. He groaned before rolling over, slowly sat up, and saw none other than the little devil fiddling with a car key before starting the engine.

Despite his dizziness, Charley's eyes filled with rage. "You!" he shouted.

Bendy flinched before he turned his head, and he saw an angry man looking down at him.

"You little—!" Charley repeated.

Bendy shushed him.

"Don't you shush me, ya little hell rat! You tell me what the hell is going on!" Charley yelled.

"Be quiet or you'll wake up your girlfriend," Bendy seethed.

"What girlfriend?" Charley asked.

At that moment, a knife flew in from behind and hit the truck. Bendy and Charley turned their heads and saw Carley Slicer.

"Her!" Bendy shouted.

The ghost woman growled with her eyes glowing yellow.

"Hit the gas!" Charley yelled.

Bendy stomped down on the gas pedal and the truck sped off.

The tall man and his friends slid to the back of the trunk.

"Hey boys!" Charley shouted. "Wake up!" He kicked the sailor and spider, but they didn't wake up. "C'mon, wake up!"

ROAR

Bendy and Charley looked up and saw ghost Carley flying toward them with glowing red eyes and knives in her hands. The little devil and tall man screamed.

Bendy ran over a bump on the dirt road and the truck flew before it landed back with a thud so hard it woke Barley and Edgar.

"What's going on?" Edgar asked with a gasp.

Carley roared.

Barley and Edgar screamed when they saw the ghost.

Carley threw a knife, and it nearly hit Barley. The butcher sailor pulled the knife with his teeth, dropped the handle end into his hand, and used it to cut the rope. Once he was free, he cut the ropes off Charley and Edgar.

"Hey boss, what's with that mark on your face?" the spider asked.

"The what?" the tall man wondered before he pulled out a hand mirror from his pocket to check his face. When he saw the kiss mark on his cheek, he gasped before he wiped it away with his glove.

The little devil made a sharp turn.

"Arg, who be drivin' this here truck?" Barley asked.

"Hi-de-ho, fellas!" Bendy said as he looked back at the men.

"Eyes on the road!" Charley yelled as he put the mirror away.

"Alright yeesh," Bendy said rolling his eyes.

"What's he doing here?" Edgar asked.

"Don't know! Don't care! Ghost chasin' us!" Charley exclaimed.

Carley disappeared before she reappeared on the hood of the truck.

Bendy's foot hit the break.

The ghost woman spotted the little devil and gasped before she pointed a knife at him.

"You again!" Carley exclaimed.

Bendy gave a nervous smile. "Hi'ya toots," he said.

"First I'll gut ya, skin ya, and then I'm gonna burn the rest of ya!" Carley shouted.

"Now wait just a minute!" Charley shouted as he slipped onto the front seat before he grabbed Bendy's arm and held it firmly. "Who the hell do you think you are!? If anyone's gonna gut this kid, it's gonna be me!"

"I'm Carley Slicer, professional thief," she changed into her living form. "And that kid stopped me from stealing the queen bee's honey!"

"And...?" Charley asked after a short pause.

"And... tried to take my new gang from me!"

The gang and little devil blinked.

"Your gang?" Edgar asked.

"Yeah!" the pale woman said. "I'm gonna be a member of the Butcher Gang!"

The men glanced at each other for a second before laughing.

Bendy pinched his brow and shook his head.

"You? In the Butcher Gang?" Charley asked mockingly. "You tied us up!"

"You poisoned us!" Edgar shouted.

"An' ye kept us locked to the sky in a basement!" Barley shouted.

"I was just... letting ya rest a bit," Carley said. "You were caught in an explosion."

"A bit?" The little devil said. "They've been missing for more than a week,"

"WHAT!?" the men exclaimed.

"It was a big explosion!" Carley argued.

"Listen up, Toots!" the tall man said with a snarl. "The only way you're gonna be in my gang is over my dead body."

Carley sighed. "Fine," she said. She threw a knife towards Charley's chest... But Bendy's ink demon hand caught it before it could touch the man.

Bendy then threw the knife back and it struck Carley's hat.

"Oh, so close!" Bendy said with a chuckle before his ink demon hand slipped out of Charley's grasp and transformed back to normal.

The pale woman took the knife out of her hat. "What the hell are you anyway?" Carley questioned. "You're obviously not some normal cat."

"He's a demon... we think," Charley answered.

"Wouldn't you like to know. Too bad I ain't talkin'." Bendy said.

"Is that so?" Carley said before she suddenly smiled. "Well, I know how to find out anyway!" She changed into her ghost form and phased into the little devil's body.

Bendy sat there, frozen, his eyes glowing yellow but then his eyes shifted to a reddish-orange, and Carley phased out of him.

She didn't stop until she was away from the truck. "Holy spit!" the ghost woman exclaimed.

Bendy's body twitched, and his head spun before it liquefied and split in half, revealing a mouth full of sharp teeth and a long, black serpent tongue.

"Your soul will be mine!"

The gang backed away as best they could as the mouth started sucking up air.

Carley was being pulled in. The ghost tried to fight it and grabbed a branch from a tree, but the force was so strong. She looked back and saw something terrifying.

Charley's soul was being pulled out of his body towards the demon's mouth.

Edgar and Barley gasped. "Charley!" they cried out.

The ghost woman gasped before she pulled out a knife and let it fly towards Bendy. The knife sliced through the tongue and the mouth screamed before it closed, stopping the suction.

Edgar quickly clambered over to Charley and patted the tall man's soul back into his body.

When his soul was back in his body, the color returned to Charley's body, and he gasped for air.

Carley took the chance to fly away. "I'll get back at you someday, demon! And I'll be in the Butcher Gang!" she shouted before disappearing.

Bendy's head melted down before solidifying back into its normal shape. The little devil shook his head before he rolled his tongue out showing the knife still there. He pulled out the knife, stuffed the weapon into his pocket, jumped out of the truck, and started walking away. "Bye," he said to the gang.

"Wait!" Charley shouted.

Bendy stopped and looked back at the men in the truck.

"I don't get it," the tall man said. "Why did you get us out of there? Why help us?"

"I'd tell ya, but I prefer to keep people guessin'," Bendy said. "Anyway, stay out of my way and away from my friends... OR I'LL EAT YOUR SOULS!" his voice echoed and made the ground shake. "Any more questions?"

The men shook with fear and shook their heads.

"Good, see ya bums never," Bendy said before he disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

After a few seconds, the men sighed.

"I can't believe he helped us," Edgar said.

"Even after everythin' we've done to 'im," Barley said.

"It doesn't add up," Charley said. "That little creep is up to somethin', I can feel it,"

"Boss," Barley said. "Let it go."

"But he-"

"Eh eh. Let it go," Barley said. "Let's just go find us a new 'ide out before that there banshee comes aft' an' find us some grub,"

"C'mon Charley, I'm starving!" Edgar complained.

"Fine! Fine!" Charley exclaimed. He took the driver's seat, turned the key, and started driving. 'But I won't stop till I snuff out that little creep. With or without you guys.' He thought.

The men drove to the city just as the sun rose.

Later That Morning...

Bendy made his way to the Kettle Cottage and decided to climb up the side to the Cuphead and Mugman's bedroom window. He opened it and slipped inside.

"Hi'ya fellas," Bendy said. "You won't believe the night I had, it was a real-..."

Bendy couldn't finish his sentence when he saw how messy the room was. It looked like it had been ransacked, and the beds were messed up too. He looked around until he spotted a rolled-up paper on the floor with a knife jammed into it. He picked it up, read it, and his eyes went wide with disbelief.

"Holy spit," he muttered.

'Dear Little Devil, I have your friends...'

To Be Continued...

Chapter Text

Cuphead groaned as he opened his eyes, he felt like his head would crack open. He tried to move his hands up, but something was preventing his arms from moving. His eyes opened wider, he looked around, and he quickly realized he wasn’t in his room. He was surrounded by darkness save for a few slivers of light above him.

Something moved next to him. Cuphead turned his head and, even though there was very little light, he could see Mugman’s blue nose and hear his grunt.

Cuphead tried to talk but his voice was muffled by a fabric gag wrapped around his mouth. He realized Mugman was gagged too, and they were tied up together with rope.

Once the mug woke up, the two cups started kicking and trying to wriggle their out of the rope with little success.

Meanwhile, in the Kettle Cottage...

Bendy was on his knees in Cuphead and Mugman’s bedroom rereading the ransom note for what must have been the fourth time.

‘Dear Little Devil, I have your friends Cuphead and Mugman held captive. If you wish to see them alive again, you will follow my orders. Meet me at Joey Drew’s grave at noon for further instructions.

-W. Arch

P.S. Tell no one about this. If I see anyone with you or trying to help you, your friends will be broken from straw to toe.’

Bendy’s blood boiled in his veins and his fur started to melt. How dare that old man take his friends!

But how did he do it?

Bendy opened his eyes, took a deep breath, and his fur solidified.

‘I need to rescue the cups and then tear Wilson limb from limb.’ Bendy thought.

The little devil took the note, hopped out the window, and headed to the city.

Meanwhile... In Inkwell City...

The convenience store owner, an anthropomorphic robin, was hanging upside down in a cocoon of webbing and was forced to watch the Butcher Gang rob him.

Charley, Barley, and Edgar stole the money from the register, food, and drinks before they ran to the pickup truck and drove away. The cops followed the truck but after some quick turns around the town, the gang managed to escape.

The gang drove out of town and into the forest and didn’t stop until they reached an abandoned cabin close to the mountain deep in the forest. They took the stuff inside and closed the doors.

The men took most of the food to the table. Edgar and Barley didn’t waste any time and started eating like they hadn’t eaten in days. Which was kinda true unless you count the drugged porridge.

Charley took his time chewing his sandwich and chugging down a cold soda. His mind was still thinking about a certain little devil who nearly sucked out his soul and rescued them all last night...

“God bless whoever invented super salted potato chips!” Edgar exclaimed happily.

“Aye, certainly a better change to porridge. Eh, boss?” Barley asked. When Charley didn’t answer, the sailor asked again. “Boss?”

“Hmm?... Oh! Yeah, better,” Charley said.

“What’s on yer mind Boss?” Barley asked.

“Nothin’!” Charley answered sharply. “I’m just beat that’s all,”

“Maybe he's thinkin’ about how he almost lost his soul...” Edgar said.

“For the third time, Ed, I’m over it! I got other things on my mind.”

“Ye better not be thinkin’ about ‘im or-”

“Or what? You gonna make me swab the galley, sailor? Anyway, I’m not thinking about him, I’m just... I need another drink.”

Charley got up, walked across the room, and was about to grab a soda from the stash... but then a soda can rose from the floor on its own and floated out the door. The tall man froze for a second before glancing at his friends.

“Um... I’m gonna go out for some air.” Charley said before he walked towards the door. “Don’t wait up,”

Edgar went to a corner and started spinning a large web.

Charley closed the door behind him and looked around.

HISS

He turned his head and saw Carley Slicer leaning against a boulder and drinking from the soda can.

“Mmmm, I just love these new lime-flavored ones,” Carley said casually. “How ‘bout you?”

The tall man rolled his eyes before he walked over to her. “What are you doing here, Slicer?” Charley asked coldly.

Carley stood up and faced Charley. “I want to be in the Butcher Gang.” She said.

Charley let out an airy chuckle. “You got a funny way of showing it,” he said.

“So I got carried away with the sleeping potion and locked ya up, so sue me,”

“Sure and while I’m at it, maybe I’ll charge ya for trying to stab me,”

“I wasn’t aiming for anythin’ serious,” Carley argued. “Anyway, me in the gang.”

Charley crossed his arms. “No. We ain’t looking for any new recruits. And even if we were, you wouldn’t be on the list.” He said. “Besides, why join us? You seem to have your own thing going on,”

“Because... I’ve been doing my own thing for a long time already. I’ve been a ghost and the invisible bandit for years now. I thought, maybe it’s time I find a crew to work with. And when I heard you guys escaped prison, I thought, yeah, these guys will do.”

“You’re the invisible bandit?” Charley said with disbelief.

“That’s right,” Carley said. She then changed into her ghost form and flew around the man, “One of the many benefits of being a half-ghost,” she whispered into his ear.

The tall man suppressed the need to shudder at the cold air coming from the ghost’s breath to his ear. But then she kissed his cheek, he flinched at the shot of cold and exclaimed.

Carley backed away and changed back into her living form.

“Half ghost?” Charley asked as he wiped away the kiss mark. “How does that happen?”

“Ah ah, that’s my little secret,” Carley said teasingly.

“Well, Miss Bandit, ghost or half ghost or whatever, we’re not looking for anyone else to join the gang so why don’t ya scram and go haunt someone else.” Charley started walking away.

“C’mon Charley, have ya got no imagination?” Carley asked as she followed the tall man. “Think of all the trouble we can cause together. Along with being a thief, I can commit other crimes. Like last night, before I went home, some old guy paid me two hundred bucks to kidnap two little boys with cups for heads from a cottage out in the woods and bring them back to his place.”

Charley stopped in his tracks at the mention of the two cup kids. He turned around to face the woman. “Two little boys... with cups for heads? One red and one blue?” he asked slowly.

“Yeah?” Carley answered, sensing something was wrong.

“And the cottage. Was it shaped like a teapot?”

“Yeah. Why? Do you know them or somethin’?”

“Yes. I do.” Charley said. “Those two are involved with Bendy.”

“Who?” Carley asked.

“Seriously? You didn’t even know his name. The little soul suckin’ demon kid from last night? That’s Bendy! And those cups you stole happen to be his friends.”

Carley’s eyes widened. “You’re kiddin’?” she asked. The tall man shook his head, and she groaned.

“The old guy who paid you, did he say why he needed those cup kids?”

“N’ah,” Carley said shaking her head. “He didn’t give much detail. Just grab the kids, leave the ransom note, then take them to his place and he locked them up in a trunk,”

“Ransom? Did ya read any of it?”

“Yeah, it mentioned a little devil and Joey Drew’s grave and...” Carley gasped. “Bendy is the little devil. That’s why The Devil came to the honey vault that day.”

“What?” Charley asked.

“Nothin’, long story. Anyway, Bendy’s supposed to meet the old guy at the graveyard at noon,”

“Noon?” Charley said before he looked up at the sun slowly rising. “That doesn’t give me much time,”

“What’cha mean?” Carley asked.

“I wanna know what’s goin’ on. But I’ll never make it there in time even with the truck. I gotta think...”

Charley stood there thinking for a second before he was suddenly lifted into the air. He exclaimed and kicked around.

“Hey! Hey! What’re you—!?” Charley yelled.

“Stop kickin’ will ya!” Carley yelled before she flew towards the city. “Just calm down and we’ll be there in two shakes.”

In Inkwell City...

Bendy walked through the cemetery as the clock was ticking closer to twelve and he stopped in front of Audrey and Joey Drew’s graves.

“Bendy,” came an eerie voice behind him.

The little devil turned around. “Wilson.” He said.

“My, my, thirty years and you’ve barely changed,” Wilson said. “Except you’re finally able to look me in the eye.”

“Yeah, too bad it hurts to,” Bendy said.

Wilson grumbled. “I suggest you watch what you say. After all, I alone know where your friends are kept,” he said.

Unbeknownst to them, Charley and Carley were peeking from behind two tombstones and listening.

Bendy frowned. “You mean those cup kids? Pfft! They are not my friends. I just use them for cheap laughs,” he lied.

“Oh don’t give me that now. I know for a fact that they are your friends. I’ve seen you and the cup boy together.”

“Great. So you not only kidnap kids, but you stalk them too? And here I was thinking you couldn’t get any creepier.”

“Those kids wouldn’t have been in this mess if it weren’t for you. But then you are the trouble-bound demon, right?”

“Just tell me what you want already,”

“Very well. As you may know, they just reopened the animation studio. My cousin, Felix Arch, took the job as manager after I was rejected.”

“You wanted to manage a studio?” Bendy asked.

“Yes, but I was rejected for my age. They also said I looked... unapproachable.”

“No! Really?” Bendy said sarcastically with a gasp.

Wilson frowned and tightened the grip on his cane.

“Alright, alright, I’m done. I’m done.” Bendy said.

“But that’s not all. Felix also has a book written by Joey Drew on display called “The Illusion of Living”. I want that book but that imbecile refuses to give it up,”

The little devil silently gulped. “The illusion of living?” he asked slowly.

“Yes,” Wilson replied. “You want your friends back? You will steal that book from the studio and bring it to me,”

“That’s it?” Bendy asked before he shrugged. “That doesn’t sound too hard.”

“Oh, but I wasn’t finished. Before you bring me the book, you will destroy the studio.”

Bendy’s eyes widen. “D-destroy the studio?” he asked.

“Correct, along with Felix inside.”

A look of worry and fear flashed in the little devil’s eyes before he shook his head.

“no... No, I can’t do that. I won’t!” Bendy exclaimed.

“Of course you can. You’re a devil.” Wilson said. “You’ve done it once before,” he gestured to the graves of the studio fire victims around them.

Bendy felt his heart beating quickly in his chest then he tried to mask his stress with an angry frown.

“Listen here, you old goat, I’ll steal from and or kick, punch, or scare someone for you, but I cannot, will not, shall not destroy the studio. Period.”

“You will or your cup friends will forfeit their very lives.”

Bendy’s face grew red with rage before he exhaled and the red vanished. “Fine, but the cups better be okay when I’m done,” he said.

“You have my word that they are safe,” Wilson said. “I’ll be at Jim’s Coffee shop, and I expect to have that book before the clock strikes two. After that, you can take your friends back.”

“Deal,” Bendy said before walking away.

“What, no handshake?” Wilson asked.

“I wouldn’t touch you to scratch you!”