Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Well… here we are.” I gulped, the tall bank towering over us.

“Daw, don’t be such a downer, Mugsy!” My brother said, grabbing my hand and pulling me inside. “Besides, when have my ideas ever gone wrong?”

Thinking back, he was unfortunately right. Every foolish decision he roped me into, Lady Luck was always looking out for us, and it seemed this time would be no different.

“Alright, Put The Money In The Bag!!!” He shouted, pointing finger guns at the register.

“Cup brothers again, huh?” The bee said. “Your finger guns don’t scare me, kid.”

“Oh yeah?”

As I pulled the tattered black mask over my face, I saw an orange glow surrounding my brother’s fingers. I got that feeling again. All my senses dulled, my body moving for me. My eyes fought the blurring, as I pleaded for my brother not to do it. Like normal, I didn’t recognize any sounds, just the purpose behind them. As the glow grew, papers swept through the air. My gloves pulled his arm, but he wouldn’t budge. If it wasn’t for The Elder Kettle, I think someone would’ve gotten seriously hurt…

“Boys!” He shouted. “C’mere!”

My brother’s finger dropped, and we went over to him. He pulled us outside and, rightfully, started scolding us.

“Cuphead! You gotta stop being so impulsive!” His lid was clattering back and forth, parting from his head to allow steam to vent out. “And Mugman! You gotta learn to get a grip on that power of yours!”

“P-Power!?” I exclaimed. “I Can’t Control It! It’s A Curse!!!”

“Remember, you two were given a gift. How you choose to wield that gift is your choice, but for The Love of Pete, stop making so many rash decisions!”

He tried “Grounding” us, but he knows it’s futile. Cuphead’s just gonna leave through the window, and I like my room. Whatever, I got studying to do. Goodnight Diary. 

Cuphead always teased him, but we shoulda listened to The Elder Kettle more. He was so wise, and maybe, just maybe, if we’d listened to him, I’d be in my own bed right now, listening to the bugs and flowers playing in the moonlight. Cuphead would be playing video games, while I smothered my face with a pillow. In the morning I’d wake up. In the morning I’d Wake Up. I’d Wake Up. Wake Up. Wake Up.

“Blah! What’s wrong with you!?” Mugman shouted, freeing his handle from Cuphead’s grasp.

“You weren’t wakin’ up! Besides, you gave me permission to!” 

“When did I do that!?”

“Hm, lemme check my watch-Doesn’t matter, still did!”

“You know my mug is sensitive!”

The two clinked their heads against eachother, one breath from a brawl. If it weren’t for a faint crumpling, the two would’ve duked it out in that there bathroom.

“Wait a minute Cuphead, did’ya hear that?” Mugman said, pushing the two apart. 

“Nope, what’d it sound like?”

“Like someone was folding paper…” Mugman patted his blue pants’ pockets, and pulled out a slip of paper. “Hey Cuphead, y’got one of these?”

Cuphead mimicked Mugman, patting his red pants’ pockets. “Well as a matter of fact I do! What’s it say?”

Mugman unfolded his scrap sheet, tracing his fingers across the creases. “Uh, it says Ultimate Gunner. How’zabout yours?”

“Let’s see… Oh, and I bet it’s in a cooler font than yours!” Cuphead uncrumpled the ball of scrap. “Would’ya look at that! It says I’m the Ultimate Runner.” Cuphead said, extra fancy like.

“Daw, c’mon, there’s no way it’s actually in a different font!” Mugman argued.

Cuphead flipped the paper around, revealing the line Ultimate Runner , along with an extra smug grin.

“Wh-Gr-Huh!?”

“Mugsy, 0. Me, 5!”

“5!?”

“Eh, just accounting for all the other times I was right.” Cuphead said smugly.

“Whatever!” Mugman whined, giving Cuphead a friendly punch. “Anyways… Where are we?”

The two looked around, analyzing the blue tile walled bathroom. Small Black and White tiles painted the floor, some being cracked. One of the stalls was wide open, the other 2 to its side shut.

“Hm… Maybe the Carnevil?” Cuphead said. “I woke up in that stall over there!”

“...I can only imagine what happened.”

“Ooh, I’ll recreate it for ya!” 

Cuphead climbed into the stall and shut it.

From inside, a low rumbling arose, as the door began shaking. Out came Cuphead, barreling out of the stall and onto the floor.

“And then I went all “Floppin’ Fishticks, what happened!?””

“Fish Ticks?” Mugman questioned, tilting his head.

“What about it?”

Mugman splatted his hand across his face, and went towards the door.

The two emerged in a room with a checkered floor. White, smooth walls opened for paths to new adventures, also known as rooms. To the left of where Cuphead and Mugman arrived was a large frame, leading straight into a kitchen area. The two could see a group eating inside. At the backmost wall, the leftmost wall of Cupsy and Mugsy, were stairs up to a new floor, hidden behind a large metal gate, hidden behind two bickering girls.

“Cia! Can we please not do this right now!?” A blue haired girl said.

“Oh spare the condemnation! You and I both want to get out of here, so let me work my magic!” Cia snarled.

Slamming a black wand with gold rings to the ground, purple sigils surrounded Cia, before quickly fading to dust.

Clap. Clap. Clap.

“Braaaavo.” Cuphead rolled his eyes.

“Cuphead, that’s rude!” Mugman said through gritted teeth, slapping the cup. “I’m so sorry about my brother he isn’t the smartest and-!”

“Don’t worry about it, I-I’m sure we’re not all ourselves right now, right Cia?” The blue haired girl asked. 

“Mhm.” She reluctantly agreed.

“Well, who are ya bunch anyways?” Mugman asked.

“Oh, Right! I’m Lana, The Ultimate Sorceress!” 

WOAH! W-WHAAAAAA!? WE GOT AN ARTIST THIS TIME!? A-And… they’ve been in a… a catastrophic accident… I guess this saves me the trouble of explaining Lana’s outfit.

“The name’s Cia, don’t you forget it, boy.” Cia’s very open suit allowed for almost her entire chest to be exposed, save for her breasts, covered by black cloth with gold accents. Her robe stretched to her feet with a cut triangle pattern, starting from the left of her waist down to her right foot, and most notable of all, a large, bird like mask with puffy cat like horns, more gold accents, red and blue jewels in the front, and glowing red eyes. “Ultimate Necromancer.”

“W-Well, it was lovely meeting you two!” Mugman said with shaky breath, Cia’s glare piercing through his very heart.

“You’re in looooove!” Cuphead taunted as the two walked away.

“N-No!” Mugman argued, covering Cuphead’s mouth and taking a glance at the two, his voice shrinking to a whisper. “I’m scared…”

“Pfffft, sure. Whateva, I’m hungy.”

Inside the diner were the porcelain, with more checkered floors. In the left corner was a garbage bin, followed by wooden swinging doors. There were two tables, accompanied by 4 seats each. True to fables, there were 8 stools at the counter in the back, like a bar on the beach.

…I’m bored of rhyming.

“See, Yor, you understand!” A large beige thing sat turned on one of the stools. “Tails, what is this?”

“They’re Gizmos!” A fox cheered from behind the counter, hidden in the darkness of the actual kitchen.

“But why?” The thing asked, droning its words.

“Hey good lookin’, got any plans tonight?” Cuphead said, knocking the beige thing off its chair and sliding in next to a very pretty woman. 

“Oof.” The thing rose, revealing itself to be a living Donut. Black wavy legs supported the Donut’s body. “Hey!”

“I am so sorry!” Mugman said, scrambling to help the Donut back up. He gazed upon the Donut’s body, his eyes locking on its sides. “Y-YOUR ARMS!!!!” He screamed.

“Wh-Wha!?” Cuphead snapped his head to look at the Donut. “Holy Mackerel, I knocked off someone’s arms! Again!!!”

“I-I can help!” The fox said, hurrying through the swinging doors and to the Donut’s side. “I Swear!”

“You goofballs, you guys didn’t take my arms!!” The Donut yelled, knocking everyone else away. 

The woman let out an unassuming chuckle.

“You boys, so quick to conclusions. Here, why don’t we get to know each other?” She placed her hands on her knees and rose from the stool. “I’m Yor Forger, the Ultimate Accountant.”

Yor had straight black hair, reaching just past her shoulders. Her hair had been portioned off, draping over the left and right of her face, held in place by a white hair band. To bring her beautiful outfit together was her red turtleneck sweater.

“She’s right! If we’re gonna be stuck here, we should get to know each other!” The donut said, his stick-like eyes squinting. “I’m Donut, the Ultimate Host.”

“I’m Tails! The Ultimate Mechanic!” Calming down from the arm fiasco, Mugman was able to take in Tails’ white fluffy chest, his red and white shoes, oh, and the fact that the orange fox had two tails! For a second, he thought it was four! “What about you two?”

“Well I’m Cuphead He’s Mugman and we’re the coolest duo in this whole building here we’ll prove it!” Cuphead said, letting out a desperate breath at the end of his rant.

“Hey hold on.” Mugman cleared the floor. “Donut, did you say we’re stuck here?”

“Huh, oh, yeah.” Donut said. “The doors are bolted shut. I’m sure it’ll all be fine though!”

The world faded, as fear picked away at Mugman’s brain. All the people around him… their features faded. What was once bright designs molded into grey humanoid figures with babbling white mouths and straight eyes. A glowing light sparkled in the ceiling, just above where the cheap, rectangular lights had been prior. Mugman reached out to it.

“C’mon Mugsy, no time for spacin’ out!” Cuphead said, snapping Mugman out of his trance. The world was fine. Yor, Donut, and Tails all stared worriedly at Mugman. “Let’s go show this locked door who’s boss!”

Through the door farther on the left of the rightmost wall was a long hallway. Dim lights hung from the ceilings, which contrasted with the bright and powerful spotlights glowing upon a large, metal door.

“Hold on, Hold on, if this whole island has the ability to make clones, why hasn’t anyone taken advantage of that yet!?”

A man with slicked back brown hair and a red leather jacket overtop a black shirt with a green trophy symbol brought his head to his hand in a thinking pose.

“W-Well, it’s not that simple. There’s a whole lot of variables we’d have to take into account, so… yeah.”

A man with a full black suit, save for his white undershirt and red tie stood parallel to the other man. His bright blond hair shone in the glow of the spotlights.

“Oh My Gosh! You are The Kinda Researcher I Like!” 

“You two!” Cuphead called. “Move, I gotta open this door.”

“Unfortunately, it uses hydraulic locks, which are-”

“Blah Blah Blah” Cuphead mocked, babbling his hand.

He grabbed his own hands and stretched them out, cracking his fingers. 

“Open Seseme!” Cuphead shouted, throwing a hand back behind his head, and another forward. “Eh, I got nothin’.”

“You're the second one to try that!” The blondie said, turning Cuphead towards him. “It’s not gonna work.”

“H-Hey, why don’t you two introduce yourselves?” Mugman pleaded, hoping Cuphead didn’t escalate the situation.

“Oh, good plan! I’m Jones.” The blond said. “Ultimate Technician.”

The man with the slicked back brown hair looked as though he was charging, a low rumbling growing from the back of his throat.

“HELLO INTERNET, AND WELCOME TO GAME THEORY!” He shouted. “S-Sorry, Sorry, just gets me in the mood. I’m Matthew Patrick, but you can call me Matpat. I’m the Ultimate Theorist!”

“Yikes, you’re obnoxious!” Cuphead said. “C’mon Mugsy, let’s go.”

“S-Sorry, he’s hard to control…” Mugman said. “See you all later.”

Something awoke inside the nearby janitor closet. Mugman thought the closet itself was so insignificant, he didn’t even mention it, silly Mug. The uncrumpling of paper was heard, followed by jiggling of the doorknob. The story of the janitor’s closet climaxed with large bangs, before the door shot open, with a large, purple turnip bursting through, devoid of limbs. 

“Woah, Ow, Oof, Watch It, Comin’ Through!!!” The ball cried, a pixel-esque mouth occasionally facing Mugman. “Watch out!!!”

The Turnip crashed straight through Mugman, knocking his head clean off. 

“AHHH!!!” He screamed. “S-Someone, Grab my Mug!”

“Ah, Okay!” Matpat said, jumping towards the head, barely missing it. “Sssshi-”

“Got It!” The Turnip exclaimed. 

Mugman opened his eyes, a large turnip, standing at 6 feet tall reached a hand around his handle. The turnip was steadily grounded, featuring new legs.

“Wh-Ho-Huh!?” Mugman exclaimed. “B-But! You were just a-!”

“Just a ball, heh, yeah, I can do that.” The turnip said, sifting his noodly arm through his triple leaf on top of him, and placed Mugman’s head back on his body. “Anyways, I’m Todd! Todd the Turnip! Ultimate Janitor, at your service!”

“Oh, I am So sorry.” Cuphead said, placing a glove on Todd’s right arm.

“Oh no, it’s okay, no need to be sorry! It was an honest mistake… I think.”

“No, not that.” Cuphead struggled to keep his solemn face, a laugh cracking through. “Sorry Your Passion Is Being A Janitor!!!!”

“Sorry about him.” Mugman groaned, dragging Cuphead by the handle and out the ominous door.

“Cuphead, that was rude!” Mugman scolded. “Y’gotta be more accepting of others!”

“Blah Blah Blah! Why should you care what happens to me!?” Cuphead exclaimed, freeing himself of Mugman’s handle grip. “Last I recall, you always make my adventures with Ms. Chalice so much more boring and safe!”

“Y-Yeah?” 

“Tha’s so boring! I can live on my own, dummy!” Cuphead shouted. “Just forget about me for once, why don’tcha!?”

“I can’t!” 

“And Why Not!?”

Mugman took a step back and grabbed his arm. Letting out a breath, he spoke.

“Cuz I’m worried about you, obviously.” 

“W-Well… I’m fine on my own, I promise.” Cuphead said, prancing off.

“Stay safe!” Mugman called.

“Who do you-!” Cuphead stopped. “Yeah, I will.”

“Ugh, what now…” Mugman asked himself.

A flurry of footsteps came his way, as something suddenly pushed him to the ground.

“H-Hey!” Tails shouted. “You Can’t Just Steal The Fridge!” 

“Looks Like We Just Did!”

A pink ball with brown laced shoes stuck his tongue out tauntingly. His red and blue jester hat, donned with shapes jiggled with each step, white furry spheres bouncing.

“Ey, Move It, Wouldya!?” A large, wide man snarled at Mugman. He was carrying the entire kitchen fridge, alone lifting it to a grand pair of double doors to the right of the previous door we explored together.

He was wearing a navy shirt with lighter blue overalls casting a shadow over the left and right sides of the shirt. His bottom half clashed, with a gross mix of navy shoes and pastel pink pants. His yellow fingerless gloves continued pulling the fridge, but the truly menacing thing was the man’s face. With an overly chiseled chin, spiky black mustache, and pink, bulbous nose, the man glared down at Mugman. On top of the fat man’s head were goggles laying on a yellow biker’s helmet, with a large blue “W” in the center.

“Hey!” Mugman called. 

“Sorry bud, but we got bigger problems right now!” The Pink Ball said.

He pushed the double doors open for the biker, and vanished inside.

“Who were those guys!?” Mugman exclaimed, getting up with Tails’ help.

“Dunno, but you gotta get the fridge back!” Tails flailed. “I’m too flimsy to take them on myself!”

“And I look any better than you!?” Mugman argued. “Face it, the fridge is gone!”

“I can help, if you’d like?” Yor said, approaching the squabbling kids. 

“Are you sure you’ll be safe?” Mugman nervously asked, poking his fingers together.

“I’ll be fine, but a stern talker would be nice!” Yor chuckled.

BAM!

The two kicked the door open, slamming it against the door stoppers and ringing out with a delayed thud. 

Yor held an offensive position, with her hands in fists, held in front of her chest, while Mugman had his right hand in a finger gun.

He shouted. “Put ‘em U-Woah.” 

Caught in awe, Mugman’s hand dropped as he took in each and every detail of the office they had stumbled into. Rich Redwood walls mixed cleanly with dark brown wood floor, most of which was covered by a large rectangular rug covering most of the room. Hiding the walls were bookshelves, that of which stretched the entirety of the left and right side of the room. Although homey, the office was small, with about 3 people being enough to link both walls together. The room’s size was mostly in width, with a tv hanging from the ceiling, just in front of a desk stretching to each wall. The two fridge stealing goons were facing the door, startled from the sudden entry, but quickly grew smug. 

“Aw, the accountant and the cry baby wanna fight?” The ball fought.

“Bring It!” The biker shouted, punching his own palms. 

“Now Now, let’s give them the benefit of the doubt.”

From the small space underneath the desk, Mugman saw a black leather chair turning. Brown, lanky shoes stepped as to stop the chair, with burly, white fingers stretching over the monitor. He pushed it aside, revealing a big burly man with a grey stubble of a beard, red fez hat, big droopy nose, and large rectangular glasses. He had a black suit on, folding over itself opposed to the white undershirt and red ribbon. 

He stood, snapped, and a puff of smoke enveloped his right hand, revealing a wood staff affixed with an 8-ball.

“I’m Stanley, but you can call me Grunkle Stan!” Stan offered a hand. “Ultimate Conman!”

“Ugh, who cares for introductions!?” The ball said. “I wanna put these losers in their place, damnit!” 

“How about this? You two introduce yourself to our guests, they introduce themselves back, then you can scramble.” Stan stopped himself. “Oh! But it’s gotta be outside. No tarnishing my office!”

“Fiiiiine! I’m Marx, The Ultimate Chaotic Jester!” The Pink Ball said, his hat bouncing as he hobbled over.

“The name’s Wario, Ultimate…” Wario pulled out his scrap of paper. “Gambler! …I guess. Whatever!”

“W-We’re not here to make friends!” Mugman shouted. “Give us the fridge, or we’ll take it by force!”

“Oh please, Miss Pretty and The Cup of Notre Dam wanna fight?” Stan taunted. “What possibly can you two do!?”

“This.” 

Yor disappeared in a flash. Junk on the desk rattled and fell over as the chair slid back. The pathetic groans of Stan filled the room, as Yor dug her boots into Stan’s crotch.

“Now, could you boys help us bring the fridge back?” Yor asked, dropping her foot and facing Marx and Wario with a warm smile.

“Y-Yes Ma’am!” The two agreed.

“Thanks for the help, guys!” Tails said.

“Of course! I’m always happy to help!” Yor said, giving that same warm smile.

“How’d you get those scoundrels to help anyways?” Tails asked, tilting his head. “Mugman? Mugman…? What’s wrong?”

The world felt distant. The beating in Mugman’s heart was deafening, as if his heart was rumbling his whole body. What Yor had done in there was otherworldly. Even with how rude he was, Mugman couldn’t help but feel bad for Stan.

“I’m uh… gonna go that way…” Mugman said, pointing to the long hallway facing the stairs.

“Oh. See you!” Tails waved.

Mugman slid his foot 180 and ran through the small space. As he entered, he layed his eyes on many doors. Each one was labeled with a name and photo, with four to his left, and four to his right. He rapidly turned his head, reading each name as he crossed it, left to right. Jones, then Wario, then… Mugman. He came to a halting stop. A small, pixelated portrait of his face lay on a door. He wrapped his gloved hands around the knob, but Cuphead’s screams snapped him out of the trance. 

“I-I’m Coming!” He shouted, resuming his prior speed. 

Mugman turned the corner, seeing doors once again to the left and right, but this time there were 5 for each side. 

“Calm down, man, the kid’s fine!” A sharp blondie with spiky hair chuckled. 

“I take it he’s your brother?” Another blond man said.

“Ey, Mugsy!” Cuphead said, raising his hands high above his head. “Meet my new friends!” 

“Yo, I’m Ryuji!” The spiky haired one said. “Ultimate Track Star!”

Ryuji had a black coat, seperated in the center to reveal a yellow graphic tee with a black and red star in the center, complimented by the text “OMG!”.

“And I’m Volo, at your service.”

Although he was blond, most of Volo’s hair was covered by a blue hat with yellow trim. The rest of his clothes were very old looking, having a full body suit in blue, covered by a white cloak, covering all his chest aside from his arms, donned with puffy yellow trimmings and a foreign symbol. 

“And?” Mugman tilted his head.

“And what, my dear porcelain pal?”

“Your Talent?”

“Yes! I’m the Ultimate Merchant, of course!”

“Say Mugsy, what’ve you been up to since we parted ways?” Cuphead asked, sliding right against Mugman’s shoulder, unbeknownst to Friction.

“Dealing with these jerks in the office.” Mugman groaned, drooping his face. “Oh… and uh… please don’t get close to Yor.”

“Y’mean the chick with the black hair?” Ryuji asked. “Why, wanna keep her to yourself?”

“Manners, Ryuji!” Volo said, slapping the vulgar teen.

“Uh… just trust me…” Mugman shuddered. 

“You actin’ real sussy here, Mugsy.” Cuphead wagged his finger.

“...What?” Volo asked, completely berfuddled. 

“Hey, what’s that grey door ova’ there?” Mugman asked, pointing past the two blondies.

“Oh that? Just laundry.” Volo explained. “I’m pretty sure Goh’s teaching Patrick how to do laundry right now.”

“Well, it was great meeting you two! Look after my brother for me, okay?” Mugman called.

“W-Wait, if Patrick’s thinking, then you do not wanna go in there!” Ryuji warned.

“Oh c’mon, what's the worst that could happen?”

Mugman turned the door knob and pulled it open, a cloud of smoke assaulting his entire body, leaving him charred black.

“Whew, thank you! We’ve been needing to air the room out for a while!” A boy in a grey sweater with a red rectangular pattern cut through diagonally by a white line, only stopping to make a circle in the center, rose. He removed his gas mask, revealing his black hair and red hair pin. “You okay?”

Mugman hacked, puffing black clouds out of his mouth, nose, and straw. He grabbed a towel from on top of the washing machine and wiped his face off. He looked around the room, hoping to identify the source of the smoke, and he found it.

Sitting by the same red washing machine was a tubby Pink Starfish with green pants with purple coral patterns. He was sitting in the middle of the room, panting and straining, smoke pouring out of his triangular head.

“Who’s he?” Mugman asked, coughing from the smoke in his throat. 

“Patrick, why don’t you introduce yourself?” The boy asked.

“Huh?” The starfish stopped his smoke production. “Oh? My name!?”

“Yeah, why don’t you introduce yourself?” The boy continued.

“Oh yeah! My name is… uh…” The Starfish paused, his eyes crossing, drool waterfalling out of his mouth.

“Is he…?” Mugman asked, not even sure of what the star would be.

“His name is Patrick, Ultimate Nothing Do-er.”

“Clearly!” Mugman laughed, interrupted by the further assault of his throat by smoke.

“Oh, and I’m Goh! The Ultimate…” Goh struck a pose, flying his right hand in the air, and dropping his left to his knee. “Collector!!”

The two sat in silence, Goh’s arms wobbling.

“So when do I get my Krabby Pattys?” Patrick asked, rising from his butt.

“N-No Patrick, we’re not ordering food, we’re cleaning clothes.” Goh explained. 

“...I’m confused, can you restart?” Patrick said.

“So, how long have you been at this?” Mugman asked. “Cause I can take over if you’d like.”

“N-Nonsense! If you wish to achieve a goal as grand as I, you must be used to trials, tribulations, and must have divine-like patience, such as yours truly!” Goh flaunted, lifting his head to the sky (ceiling light), and resting his hand on his heart.

“Y-Yeah, okay…” Mugman began backing away. “I’m just gonna… head over-!”

Suddenly, an alarm blared through the whole building, and something lit up in the corner of each and every room. Unnoticed prior were small monitors, hanging from the ceiling, now glowing with a picture. A black leather chair was turned backwards, placing emphasis on the surrounding tropical scene. A palm tree on either side of the chair complimented the background, that of which was of a sandy beach and ocean horizon.

“Testing! Testing! One Two, One Two!” A high pitched voice cheered. “Everyone, please make your way to the kitchen! We’ll continue our little… adventure there. Tata!”

With that, the monitors shut off. Goh looked at Mugman, who looked at Patrick, who looked at both.

“‘Ey Mugsy!” Cuphead called, sliding into the laundry room. “Race ya there!” 

“Oh you're on!” Mugman said, cracking his knuckles.

“3! 2!” Cuphead ran, getting a brief headstart, but Mugman quickly made up for it. The two raced, grazing each other’s arms, skidding against the tile floors as they turned.

The two pushed and shoved relentlessly. They halted as their feet hit the kitchen tiles. Dust clouded around them, and they prepared to take their stand.

“Boo-Yeah!” Cuphead roared. “Another win for the boy in the red!”

“What!?” Mugman roared back. “I Clearly Won!!” 

“You’re just saying that cause you don’t want another loss in your belt!”

“It’s Under your belt, dimwit!”

“Nincompoop!”

“They’re so loud…” Cia groaned. “Permission to shut them up?”

“Permission denied!” Lana said, making an X with her hands.

“If we had a recording, we could go frame by frame to check who won!” Matpat said. “Someone get me that camera!” 

“Let me get a broom!” Todd added. “I could totally reach that high!” 

“No!” Mugman shouted. “We’ll settle this the old fashioned way.”

Non-Stop Debate!!!

Cuphead: Simple arguing, eh?

Cuphead: You know I can win in an argument!

“Woah Woah Woah!” The same bright voice beamed from inside the actual kitchen area of the kitchen. “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves!”

“Wh-Who said that!?” Tails exclaimed.

“Don’t be scared!” It continued. “I’ll explain all in due time!”

“Look man, I’ll kick your butt!” Ryuji said, striking a fist towards the kitchen.

“Let’s not resort to violence, now.” Yor said, placing a calming hand on his shoulder.

“Yeah! Let’s Not!” Stan yelled, totally not pointing a finger to any Yors in the room.

“Nonsense! Violence makes the world go round, y’know.” Its voice began pacing around the room. “The world we know today never would’ve been formed if it weren’t for violence!”

The lights began to dim, while the lights in the kitchen shone brighter than ever before. 

A small, maybe 3 foot tall bear jumped from beyond the counter. His right side was white, cute and cuddly, while his left was black, scary and menacing.

“I am your host, Monokuma!” The bear said.

“Host!?” Tails exclaimed.

“That’s right! Host!”

“Are we on a gameshow or somethin’?” Stan asked.

“Ooh, I hope so!” Marx schemed. “Gameshows mean…”

Marx and Wario glanced at each other.

“MONEY!!!” The two squealed.

“Nope!” Monokuma said. “Here’s the deal. I know you’re all in a rush to leave, but I’m not just gonna open the door for all of you!”

“What do we need to do then?” Mugman asked, the lights shining on him.

“It’s simple! All you need to do is kill one of your new best friends.” Monokuma sent a sinister smile. “Any questions?”

Once more, the world felt as though it was melting. No sounds greater than a whisper arose from the room, that was until Yor spoke up.

“And if we do?”

“Great Question!” Monokuma cheered. “When 3 people discover a body, a 3 hour investigation will begin! It’s your civil duty to find and note down anything you believe will be helpful in determining who killed your friend! After those 3 hours, we’ll move to the trial grounds, where you must all agree on who killed your friend. If you vote correctly, they will be eliminated and you’ll all run free, but if they get away, they’ll be free to leave while everyone else is eliminated!”

“So all we need to do is not get killed, right?” Donut asked.

“H-Hold on, what does elimination mean!?” Jones said, shooting up from his seat.

Monokuma glared into his eyes with a grim grin.

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?”

“Wait!” Goh added. “Before you go, I need to tell my… my friend that I’ll be away for a while!” 

“Too bad!” Monokuma taunted. “Now, since it’s late out, you all gotta go to bed! When you leave this room, take a right! Down that hallway you’ll find your rooms!”

Monokuma jostled around his pocket, and pulled out a keychain with 18 keys on it. He pulled key after key off, tossing them to everyone in the room.

“C’mon dude, you really expect us to go to bed after all that!?” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Yeah!” Patrick agreed, oblivious to what was happening.

“Would it help if I shut the lights off?” Monokuma asked, tilting his head.

“Y-You weren’t already gonna!?” Volo exclaimed.

“C’mon guys, it’s not all that bad!” Cuphead said. 

The group all snapped their heads towards Cuphead.

“H-Hold on, he doesn’t mean it guys!” Mugman said, blocking their view of his porcelain brother. 

“Oh yeah?” Cia snarled. “Cause that brat has been nothing but an impudent brat the whole time we’ve been here!”

“Yeah, why shouldn’t we be mad at him!?” Donut exclaimed.

The room exploded into yelling, shouting and everything in between. Mugman snook a glance at Monokuma. His grin was growing, malice enveloping the room by his word. The fear and resentment he cast into everyone was consuming. They were submerged by despair.

“EVERYONE!!!” Todd shouted. “This Isn’t Helping Anyone! What do we gain by fighting amongst ourselves!?”

“Y-Yeah, we should be working together instead of fighting!” Lana agreed.

“How about we all go to bed for the night, and we can discuss further in the morning.” Jones said.

“Y-Yeah… good idea.” Tails muttered. “Sorry.”

Dear Diary

Something happened today. Cuphead and I woke up in this old hotel, and a black and white bear forced us into some sorta killing game. I fear for our safety, but I know Cuphead can defend himself. I don’t know how or why we got here, but… ugh. Cuphead always teased him, but we shoulda listened to The Elder Kettle more. He was so wise, and maybe, just maybe, if we’d listened to him, I’d be in my own bed right now, listening to the bugs and flowers playing in the moonlight. Cuphead would be playing video games, while I smothered my face with a pillow. In the morning I’d wake up to the smell of fresh pancakes. It’s getting late though, I’ll talk to you tomorrow, Diary.

Mugman flicked his lamp off, and closed his eyes. Within the sea of fear he bathes in, somehow, someway, he’d find that island of hope.

Chapter Text

“Hey!” He called. “Mugman, wake up!”

His eyes shot open. The hanging ceiling light swayed back and forth with a quiet creek. Mugman sat up. Glancing around his bedroom, he saw a silhouette in his doorway.

“C’mon, Cuphead’s waiting for us!” 

It jolted through the door, and Mugman gave chase.

“Aha, come on!” It continued, running down the stairs and into the kitchen.

The 3 silhouettes ran through the kitchen and into the chip aisle. “You’re slow!”

“Get… Back… Here!” Mugman shouted, closing in on the tails of the silhouettes.

He stretched his hand and grabbed its shoulder, but it laughed and dissolved into his glove. A sharp pain jolted through his spine, causing him to collase on the brick floor.

“You’re… Too… Slow!” The figure laughed, copying as it moved around Mugman.

The demons had surrounded Mugman. As he frantically shot his head around him, he watched as each and every monster reached their hand out at once. Their claws took form around Mugman’s neck, and right as they grasped, he woke up.

“Wh-What was that?” He asked himself, looking around at his broken room.

All of a sudden, a cheery voice sang around Mugman. “I’m not sure… Here, maybe a walk will help take your mind off things?”

“Wh-Who said that!?” He said, pulling his blanket past his mouth.

“Mugman! I thought we were friends? You tell me everything!” 

From his desk, Mugman’s diary rose and flew over to him. 

“O-Oh… It’s just you…” Mugman sighed. “Maybe I do need a walk.”

He rose from his sleeping bag, unzipped his tent, and entered the blood red forests. His shoes crunched through crimson leaves and stomped red flowers.

“Muuuuugmaaaaan…” 

A nearby voice bounced off each and every tree.

“Help. Me.”

From the branches above, Cuphead’s lifeless body dropped down, a rope around his neck to keep him suspended.

He stepped back, pure shock on his face.

“MUUUUUUGMAAAAAAN!” Cuphead screamed. “YOU LEFT ME! WHEN HAS IT EVER BEEN OKAY TO LEAVE ME ALONE!?”

“MUUUUUGMAAAAAN!”

“Mugman!” 

Mugman shot up in a cold sweat. His eyes bounced around the room. No tent doors, no silhouettes, no talking diaries. The desk to the left of his bed was okay, and the bathroom door just beyond was perfectly fine too. No bugs were on his end table, and the blue carpet wasn’t opening to swallow him whole. He glanced at the digital clock on his bedside table, it reading 5 AM.

“ I’m Huuuuungry! ” His stomach cried. (Not really, I just thought he needed some fun right now.)

Stepping out of his room, Mugman saw every light was off, save for a few night lights plugged into the wall. He navigated through the small lobby and into the kitchen, where he saw a bright yellow light illuminating the room, originating from the fridge.

“Who’s There!?” He demanded, slinking into the kitchen.

The fridge shut, leaving Mugman and the unknown person alone in the dark. Mugman backed away to the closest night light, as footsteps began roaming around the room. Mugman couldn’t see a thing past the blue glow of the night light, but suddenly, the monster in the dark came straight towards him. 

“Woah, Woah!” Matpat exclaimed, walking straight into Mugman and knocking the two to the ground. “Sorry about that, I was practicing my blind walk!”

“...Really?” Mugman said, patting dust off his overalls.

“Yeah! You never know when you’ll be lost in the dark!” Matpat flicked the overhead light above the oven on, illuminating the entire kitchen once more.

“Whatever, I’m making breakfast.” Mugman sighed, looking through all the different cabinets and corridors.

Mugman grabbed various pancake making materials and placed them together on the counter, including eggs, pancake mix, butter, and milk, and began casually mixing them as the box directed. He stirred and stirred until the pancake batter was nice and creamy, then poured a small amount into a circle on a pan, turned the heat to medium, and placed chocolate chips around the edges to melt into the batter. He repeated this process time and time again, each pancake taking around 3 minutes total. 1 minute to prepare the whole thing, then two minutes to cook, 1 minute for each side. By the time he was out of batter, 24 chocolate chip pancakes, each decorated with whipped cream and a ripe cherry lay on plates across the countertop.

He fell back into one of the dining room’s chairs, exhausted from the repetitive nature of making 24 pancakes, and closed his eyes. As Mugman began to drift, a loud melody chimed across his whole body.

Ding Dong

“Good Morning everyone!” In the corner of the kitchen, the monitor had once again lit up. Monokuma was holding a cocktail glass with a red liquid inside and a decorative umbrella was hanging off the side. The rest of his background was pretty boring, mostly just being a grey backdrop with his black leather chair. “It is now 7 AM! That means it’s morning!”

“W-Huh!?” Mugman exclaimed, almost falling back in his chair.

“It seems Monokuma wants us up at certain times.” Yor said, pulling Muman and his chair back to the table safely.

“Yeah… Yor!?” He shot back, falling out of his chair anyways. “When did-!?”

“I’ve been watching you run back and forth for around 10 minutes now.” She said with a warm smile. “I was gonna help, but you looked so concentrated it’d feel rude to interrupt!”

“Good Morning…” Tails muttered, collapsing onto one of the nearby chairs. 

“What happened to you?” Donut asked.

“I just… couldn’t sleep last night.” Tails said, resting his head in his arms.

“Well, I’m used to sleeping during adversity, so I was just fine!” Goh flaunted. “If you need any tips, just ask me!”

“Shut it, Square.” Wario commanded.

“Sq-Square!?”

“What does that even mean!?” Jones said.

“Hm? I thought it was pretty obvious.” Marx smirked.

“...Well?” Cia snarled.

“Oh, you actually thought I was gonna tell you? LMAO!!” 

“Why you little…!” Cia slammed her staff onto the floor with a bang around the room.

“Hey Hey! Can’t we all just get along!?” Todd shouting. “We shouldn’t argue on day two, for Bribble’s Sake!”

“And keep the volume down, I don’t wanna overdose on ibuprofen.” Mugman groaned, head buried in his gloves.

Cuphead froze and pulled his hand out of the jar of medicine. “That’s what these are?” He said, a few pills falling out of his mouth. He shrugged and went back to crunching.

“So like, what now? We just screw around and wait for someone to die?” Ryuji asked.

“Well, someone left all these pancakes out on the counter, so I’m sure they wouldn’t mind if I took one.” Patrick said, loitering around the kitchen counter.

“Patrick! Those aren’t yours!” Tails scolded. “You can’t just… just take whatever you want!!”

“Oh yeah? Well I used to be royalty, so I think that means I get all the pancakes I want!”

“How does one stop being royalty?” Volo probed. “Did you… transfer said royalty?”

“Wait a minute…” Cuphead examined the pancakes. “Chocolate Chip Edges, Whipped Cream Center with a Cherry on top…”

“Hey Cup of Notre Dam, your brother’s trying to think!” Stanley said. “Isn’t that a little dangerous?”

“It’s not his brain talking right now.” Mugman lifted his head from his hands and slapped himself to wake him up.

“So like, something else is in control!?” Matpat exclaimed. “Is it the white liquid in his cup?!”

“Nope.” Mugman said, as Cuphead took a big bite of one of the pancakes. “It’s his belly.”

“I Knew It! These are The Elder Kettle’s Sunday Funday Pancakes!” 

“Sunday…” Marx snickered.

“Funday…” Wario continued.

“BAHAHAHAHA!” The two roared.

“Can we not do this?” Mugman pleaded. “He named it when we were like, 6, and it just kinda stuck.”

“I think it’s sweet!” Lana said. “This Elder Kettle must really care for you two. I can’t imagine how worried he must be…”

“Y-Yeah…” Mugman muttered. He thought back to all the times he and The Elder Kettle had fought. “He’s probably just happy he got some time to himself after all these years.”

“Hey man, parents do not think that about their kids!” Ryuji hit the table, causing silverware to clink. “And if they do, they don’t deserve you in the first place!”

“Well, I wouldn’t blame them if they had to look after Cuphead.” Volo snarkily said.

“Sooooooo, who made the pancakes?” Jones asked.

“I did.” Mugman said, visions of the past plaguing his mind.

“I think what he meant to say was “They’re for everyone, so dig in!”” Yor said.

Dear Diary

It is currently 10 AM, and I

Knock Knock Knock

“It’s open!” Mugman called, spinning 180 to face the door in his swivel chair.

A small piece of paper slid under Mugman’s door, to which he got up, grabbed it, and read it to himself.

“ Come to my room. Don’t let anyone see you.

-Yor ”

The fleeing footsteps just outside the door made Mugman’s heart race. What could Yor possibly want that he needed to sneak into her room. He grabbed a pencil for protection and began his trek. 

Exiting his room, he took a left, then looked at the door now on his left and went inside. He had made it.

“Welcome, find a place to sit and we’ll begin shortly.” Yor instructed.

Sitting around the room were four other people.

“You got any clue as to why we’re here?” Jones asked, facing the room in Yor’s swivel chair.

“Eh, I’m sure it’s for a good reason, right Yor?” Todd said, leaning against a wall.

“Well, with all of us here, it’s not like we’ll be attacked!” Lana said, sitting on Yor’s bed and glancing at each person around the room. “...Right?”

“I asked Tails to come, but I’m pretty sure he’s taking a nap, so us 6 will have to suffice for now.” Yor said, taking a seat next to Lana. “It’s clear Monokuma is set on us playing this killing game of his, but there’s caveats to his plan.”

Jones leaned in.

“I dunno, doesn’t he have cameras everywhere?” Todd said.

Yor glanced at the camera in her room, which was tied up in a pillow case.

“We can’t disable all of them, but Monokuma shouldn’t care about less important room’s cameras going offline.” Yor explained.

“And how does this help us, exactly?” Mugman argued.

“We’ll get to that tomorrow. For now, we must disable the janitor's closet's camera.” Yor stood on a folding chair and began taking down the grey pillow case off her camera. “We’ll meet there tomorrow at 12, okay?”

“Do we really need 5 people to take down a single camera?” Jones asked. “Seems a bit excessive.”

“Well, we will need a distraction.” Yor said, folding her pillow case and placing it on her bed, then grabbing a small chip from her desk. “Any volunteers?”

“I can do it!” Mugman spoke up. “I already had some questions I wanted to ask, so… yeah.” 

“Sounds good!” Yor gave a warm smile. “Microphone is coming back on in 3, 2, 1.”

She popped the small chip in a small rectangular hole and got down.

“H-Hey Monokuma!” Mugman shouted, sitting at the desk in the office. “I’ve got some questions about the game!”

“Hit me!” Monokuma said, spinning the leather chair to face Mugsy.

“O-Oh, uh, I uh…”

“Spit It Out! I don’t got all day!”

“Okay, so, me and my brother have school right? And I’m sure everyone else has a job of some sort and basically I’m wondering how that’s gonna work out.” Mugman exhaled, attempting to catch his breath.

“Eh, why should I care.” Monokuma shook his cocktail, the small umbrella jiggling around inside.

“C-Cuz our personal lives matter too!” Mugman stammered.

“Well then maybe you should kill someone so you can get out sooner, huh!” Monokuma said. “Man, I’m great at this!”

Mugman sighed, calming himself. “I just want a general idea of what will happen when we get out.”

“Look kid, my best guess is that you and all your friends are currently classified as missing, so those are the benefits you get! Now leave me alone, I’ve got a fox to prove wrong!” 

“W-Wait!” Mugman desperately reached out, as Monokuma jumped into the ceiling, the tiles rotating from the collision.

The door creaked open, Mugman glancing back to see Lana silently giving a small thumbs up and confident smile.

“Hey, Mugman!” Goh called, entering the kitchen.

“Hiya Goh. What brings you here at 3 PM?” Mugman said.

“I was just gonna check what food Monokuma even lets us have.” Goh responded, rummaging through cabinets. “What about you?”

“Oh, y’know, just makin’ a wiener.” 

“I hope it’s good!” 

“What’re you talkin’ about?” Mugman said, dog in hand. “It’s a hot dog! It’s good raw!”

“O-Oh… I’ve uh, never had a hot dog before, haha…” Goh said, reaching for his left arm and slightly hiding his face.

“Here, I’ll make you one.” Mugman said, placing his hot dog on a paper plate and calmly walking to the fridge.

“I-It really isn’t that big of a deal, d-don’t waste the energy.” Goh insisted. 

“I can’t just let a boy who’s never eaten a hot dog run free! You could be a threat to others!” Mugman joked, sliding a raw dog on a paper plate, which was then placed into the microwave.

“I have other foods, you know!” Goh flailed. “Not eating a hot dog isn’t gonna turn me into a-a murderer!!”

“That’s what my friend from prison used to say.” Mugman said.

“And where is he now?” 

“In prison.” 

“R-Right…”

Accompanied by the low humming of the microwave, Goh felt like he was opening up. Mugman noticed that Goh’s confident, egotistical mask was slipping, revealing a scared boy with no one to turn to. Maybe he could be Goh’s lighthouse in the stormy seas Goh seemed to be lost in.

“Say, why don’t we eat together?” He asked, placing the dog in a bun, and dressing the dog with ketchup.

“Sure. not like anyone else is brave enough to leave their rooms!”

The two sat next to each other on the counter’s bar stools, flimsy dogs on greasy paper plates on the counter itself. 

“What do you wanna talk about?” Goh asked.

Mugman shrugged. “Maybe a bit about you?”

“Well, I’m a researcher at professor Sakuragi’s laboratory in Kanto! I work with a uh…” Goh stammered, facing the floor as his cheeks began to burn up. “A friend… We’ve been working together for around a year now…”

“A researcher, huh? Sounds like you’re a pretty big deal, huh?” Mugman said, to which Goh didn’t respond. He snapped his fingers. “Right?”

“Oh, Yeah, I guess!” Goh said, shooting up. “We’re not famous or anything, but it’s really fun! We get to go all over the world for our research!”

“Other than working with your friends, why’re you working at this lab?” Mugman prodded. “Like, why this one specifically.”

“Well, I have a goal, but it’s pretty ambitious.” Goh chuckled nervously. “And I think that Professor Sakuragi’s laboratory is the best place to do it!”

“Ooh, what is it?” 

“Oh it’s uh…” Goh quickly shook his head. “N-Nevermind it, I’d have to explain a lot more first!”

“Sounds like we’ll have to talk again sometime, then!” Mugman said.

“Yeah, we will!”

Ding Dong

The singing of the alarms caught the two off guard.

“Hello everyone!!!” Monokuma cheered. “Please come to the kitchen for instructions as we approach night time!”

“13 14 15 16 and 17!” Monokuma muttered, tapping a clipboard. “That’s everyone!”

“Yo, can you hurry up? I was working on something” Ryuji whined.

“No need to rush, Ryuji. We’ve got all the time in the world to work on our… little plan.” Volo said.

“Doesn’t mean he shouldn’t hurry up!” Wario shouted.

“H-Hey, maybe we should just let him do his thing!” Stan pleaded. “I wouldn’t wanna get on anyone’s bad side on day two!”

“Hush Now, I am speaking!” Monokuma said, clanking a pot and pan together. “When each of you go to bed tonight, you’ll find a small tablet on your bed! If you tap the screen, it will play a short video! You better watch it, or else…”

“Or else what?” Yor challenged. “How are you going to make us?”

“Puhuhuhu. Why, I’ll punish you the same way I’ll punish you for breaking rules!”

“What rules?” Donut asked.

“Yeah, you never mentioned any rules…” Tails said.

“Oh, silly me! I knew I was missing something!” Monokuma cleared his throat. “There are just four rules. 1. A killer may only kill 2 people during their case. This, of course, does not apply if someone else happens to kill the killer! 2. You must always sleep in your room! 3. Don’t get caught in a trial! 4. I, Monokuma, am not allowed to punish anybody for a rule they did not break! If I do punish them, then I will see to it that I rectify my mistakes!”

“Hold on, even you can break the rules!?” Ryuji exclaimed.

“Of course! It wouldn’t be very fair if I was immune to the rules, now would it?” 

“Would You Stop Playing Around!?” Goh shouted. “This Sick Joke Isn’t Funny Anymore! Let Us Go!”

“Oh my sweet Goh, I assure you.” Monokuma lept off the counter and leaned in Goh’s face, forcing him to step back. “No jokes, No gags. All of this is real.”

“W-Well, I’m sorry you have no one else in your life who cares about you!” Goh shouted, pushing Monokuma away. “My friend is probably worried sick, and I don’t wanna go home and tell him it was all a big joke!”

“On the topic of that, I have a present for you!” Monokuma handed Goh a white box with red ribbon tying it shut.

Goh carefully undid the knot, pulled the ribbon away. When he lifted the lid, his face shifted from confused, to that of pure, overwhelming dread. Goh’s eyes widened and his breathing sped up, as he placed the lid back on the box and fell to his knees.

“Anyways…” Monokuma said, his tone quickly shifting from grim and malicious to his normal cheery self. “It’s time for bed! Make sure to get a great sleep, everyone!!!”

Lana hurried over to Goh, crouching down beside him and holding him close. “B-But-!” 

“I Said Go!” 

Mugman stepped into his room, seeing that the tablet Monokuma had preached about was there. He grabbed it, climbed in bed, and tapped the screen. A sun appeared at the top of the screen, but it soon rotated to the right, and in its, a full moon. The screen faded, and the video started.

Monokuma Theatre!!!

“Hiya everybody! Welcome to the Monokuma Theatre!!! I make these videos for your entertainment every night, and it’s your civic duty to watch them! I’ll be talking about whatever I want really, but it’ll be loads of fun either way! Apologies, I don’t wanna take up too much time tonight! Goodnight everyone!!”

Day 3 - Wednesday

252 Days Since Last Incident.

Ding Dong!

“Good morning everyone! Go ahead and wave the moon goodbye as we get our day started!”

Knockity Knock Knock

Knock

“Oh Mugsy!” Cuphead called through the door. 

Mugman groaned in a way that I don’t have a clue how I would pronounce, let alone type! He dragged himself out of bed and opened the door.

“What d’ya want…?” He said, face slouched down.

“Uh, it’s morning and I’m hungry!” Cuphead said. 

“And I’m tired, but I can’t do much about that, can I?”

“Didn’t sleep good last night?” Cuphead asked, walking towards the kitchen.

“Did you?” 

“Of course! It’s not that hard to keep your eyes shut for 9 hours when nothing exciting is happening!”

Mugman sighed.

“I swear, someone could bash your head in with a pipe and you’d still sleep.” 

“Are we all here?” Volo asked.

“Where’s the kid?” Stan said.

“Who, Goh?” Tails said, tilting his head. “I didn’t hear his door open this morning, so…”

“Eh, probably still sleeping! I would say don’t bother him.” Marx chuckled. “But I won’t! Who’s in!?”

“Oh! Oh! Me! Pick Me!” Cuphead hopped up and down, waving his hand in the air.

“...Anyone else!?” Marx said.

“Would you just go already!?” Cia snapped.

“Cia!” Lana scolded. “I’ll come along. N-not to bother him though!”

“Why don’t you go along too, Mugman?” Yor said. “I think they could use someone as grounded as you!” 

“Me? Grounded?” Mugman asked, pointing to himself. “Yeah right.”

“She’s got a point!” Jones said. “You’re pretty level headed-er-cupped.”

“Goh? You in there?” Lana called, gently knocking on his door.

“Yeah! We have a surprise for you!” Marx added, balancing a pie dish filled with whipped cream in between the split in his hat.

…

“Goh…?” Mugman said, turning the knob. 

The door crept open, as darkness spilled out and enveloped the hallway. Lana reached for the light and flicked it on.

With the lights on, they saw Goh wrapped in his blankets. His pillow was heavily dented, like it had a rock placed on top for eons, and it had formed around it. 

“You okay?” Marx asked. “I got some uh… some whipped cream for you.”

Goh tightened his grip on the covers, causing them to tense closer to his face.

“You two go back to the kitchen.” Lana ordered. “I’m gonna stay here for a bit.”

“You sure you don’t want us to stay? I could probably help.” Mugman said.

“Yes, I’m sure.” Lana gave a warm smile before shutting the door.

“So, we’re splittin’?” Ryuji asked.

“If we have nothing else to discuss.” Volo confirmed.

“Alllllright, see ya later!” Matpat said.

“Hey Marx, mind staying back a minute?” Mugman called.

“Uh, I guess?” Marx waddled back in, staying quiet until everyone else had left. “I swear to Nova if you start scolding me I will-!”

“No No! I, uh, actually wanted to thank you.” Mugman said. “You went there to… how do I put it…”

“Bully Goh?”

“Yeah? That sounds a bit harsh…” Mugman quickly shook his head. “No matter! The point is, you tried to turn your joke into helping Goh feel better. So for that, thank you.”

“I wasn’t doing that doofus! I just saw that I wasn’t gonna be able to smack it in his face, and wanted an excuse to eat it!” Marx exclaimed.

“Sure Sure!” Mugman laughed.

“I’m warning you!!” Marx threatened, hopping onto a table to get to Mugman’s eye level. “If you’re done slandering me, can I go?”

“Well, you’re already here…”

“Whaaaa! I am!? I never woulda guessed!”

“Why don’t you tell me a bit about yourself?”

“No.” Marx said, turning to the door.

Suddenly, he stopped. His ship anchored to the sea floor as the Siren’s Call drove him mad from the inside out. The sound of whipped cream filling a pie tray made Marx’s heart sink, as he knew he couldn’t fight this powerful urge.

“You son of a bitch, I’m in!”

“Alright, we’ve got enough cream for three pies, we gotta choose our targets wisely.” Mugman explained, topping off the first dish.

“We gotta figure out who will have the funniest reaction, but won’t get too mad!” Marx continued. “We start by chopping off the ones we for sure won’t hit.” 

“Yor probably wouldn’t get too mad.”

“Yeah, but it won’t be funny! She’s off!” Marx said, crossing Yor’s name off of their whiteboard of names. “What about Wario?”

“I think he holds grudges just a little too much for it to be safe in the long run.” Mugman added, crossing another name off.

“Uh… Stan?” Marx suggested. “Think he’d work?” 

“He’d probably get mad, but we’d all have a laugh about it later.” Mugman said. “Throw ‘im on the list!”

“Y’know, I never expected you to do this with me.” Marx said, drawing a black checkmark next to Stan’s name.

“What d’ya mean?”

“I mean, you’re one of the two who made us bring the fridge back!” Marx exclaimed. “I mean, you’re Cuphead’s foil!”

“Living with Cuphead for your whole life, it’s kinda hard not to appreciate some tomfoolery here and there!” Mugman said. “What about you? Why are you so mischievous?”

“I’m a jester! My whole thing is being a trickster!” 

“I don’t think that’s what a jester is…”

“Blah Blah Blah! Back to the pieing!” 

“Hm… I feel like Volo wouldn’t-!”

“Of course he wouldn’t be funny! Come on, lightning round!” Marx cheered. “Patrick - Too hungry! Donut - Too serious! Cuphead - I Really do not want him to get involved.”

“I can’t argue with that.” Mugman said, chopping the three names off. “...What about Cia?”

“Doesn’t she break our “Grudges” rule?” Marx asked.

“She hasn’t stayed mad at Cuphead for making fun of her the other day. Besides, she’s already super angry, what’s a little more?”

“Now I really wanna see that!” Marx said, checking her name.”

“One spot left, gotta make it count!” 

“Say, how good are you at pieing?” Marx smirked.

“I’m a beginner, why?”

“Then our last one will be a challenge!” Marx said.

“Who’re you talking about?” Mugman asked.

From the hallway, a door opened. One at the very back of the first hall, the one you see just before turning the corner.

“Bingo!” Marx hurried to erase the whiteboard, “I’ll do the sweet talking, you make the hit! Go!”

Mugman swiped the pie and ran to the corner, behind the last inch of the doorframe. Soft steps approached the kitchen. Steps that could only belong to one person.

“Heyyy, whatcha doin’?” Marx asked, a smug grin on his face.

“Same as you I assume!” Todd said. “Grabbing a bite!”

“Oh! Yeah, that does make sense! Say, I’ve got a little something for you!” 

“Oh?” Todd turned his head, consequently turning his arms too. “What is it?”

“Oh nothing, just A Little Treat!” Marx said, gritting his teeth and signaling to Mugman, who quickly realized that was his cue. Maybe they should’ve rehearsed.

Mugman lunged from the corner, pie dish in hand. As he flew through the air, Todd’s face allowed for the perfect target. 

“Oh hey Mugman!” Todd called, turning just far enough away that Mugman’s 100% accurate shot was now… 0. Todd slipped in between the two, catching both Mugman and the pie dish. “You okay? You almost dropped your Whipped Cream!”

“I uh…” Mugman glanced at Marx, who responded by shaking his head. “Th-Thanks man!”

“Yeah, of course! Say, I think it’s time to meet up with Yor and the others!”

“Meeting up with Ms…” Marx began saying smugly, before vicious memories filled his mind. “Ms. Lovely…! Have fun… And stay safe Mugman!”

“Welcome back everyone.” Yor said, shutting the Janitor’s Closet door.. “I hope you’ve all had a good day so far!”

This was the first time Mugman had entered the Janitor’s Closet, though it was nothing special. About as large as a public bathroom, each wall was plated in shelves covered in junk of varying usefulness. In the center of the room were 6 folding chairs, presumably placed there by Yor, all facing each other.

“I’ve been having a decent day.” Mugman said. “What about the rest of you?”

“I ironed out a huge kink in one of my machines, so I’m feeling great!” Tails cheered.

“Well I have been working on my multi-dimensional portal theorem!” Jones said. “Basically, there’s this undiscovered element called Tathium that, when concentrated enough, has been found to mysteriously lose molecules! Using this, along with a few equations, I was able to determine that teleportation may be possible with the right suit and dosage of Tathium! My next step is actually testing, though I don’t have any Tathium here, so that’ll have to wait.”

“I uh… had a yummy burger earlier.” Todd said. “...That’s it.”

Yor made a small laugh. “Why don’t we get on topic, shall we?”

“Oh! Since I wasn’t here yesterday, what exactly are we doing?” Tails asked, settling down on a small folding chair.

“Yesterday we quarantined this room from Monokuma’s control,” Yor explained. “And now we’re gonna use it to stop the games.” 

“We’re breaking out!?” Mugman exclaimed.

“Not quite. Rather, we’ll have people on the outside break us out.” Yor held up a small, dirty key. “It only makes sense that the outside world has noticed our 16 sudden disappearances, right?”

“Well, I’d hope!” Jones laughed. “Not to brag, but I was pretty important for the tech world!”

“So are we just gonna settle down here and wait for rescue?” Tails asked.

“I’ve already asked Matpat to find some renewable food sources just in case Monokuma stops supplying us.” Yor continued. “Today’s mission is to find every item that could be used as a weapon, and bring it here. Once done, we’ll lock the door and hide the key.”

“Wait!” Todd lunged up from his chair. “Are we just gonna lock away all of our cleaning equipment!? How’re we supposed to clean without a broom or mop!?”

“Couldn’t we just give Todd the key?” Mugman asked. “He’s too kind to hurt someone!”

“Yeah, well when someone pulls a pipe out of their plumbing unit, he’s not gonna be lookin’ too hot.” Jones argued. “If that’s a risk you’re willing to take, then go ahead.”

“I’ll think about it, but our goal here is of course saving everyone. If we can’t do that, then this whole thing was pointless.” Yor said.

“H-How about we just get started?” Todd suggested. 

“Thank the loop we aren’t on kitchen duty, right!?” Jones nudged Mugman, causing him to drop a screwdriver.

“They could probably just take a handful from the drawer and call it a day though.” Mugman said.

“And then they’d have to wash any dirty knives too! It’d suck!”

“Yikes, I didn’t even think of that!” He placed the screwdriver in a small laundry basket. “Y’think they need to get forks too?”

“Probably not, because then they’d have to get all the spoons, and then we just wouldn’t be able to eat!”

“Spoons dont’s hurt as much as forks, y’goof!”

“Do forks really hurt, though?”

“A metal fork can do some serious damage, y’know.” 

The two laughed, as Jones placed the laundry basket by the door and sat down on a cushioned bench against the wall.

“Welp!” He said and stretched his arms high above his head. “We’re done for the day!”

“Y’know, for how open you are, I know, like, nothing about you.” Mugman chuckled, sitting next to Jones on the bench. “Like, what even are you?”

“So, basically I’m an alien from Mars, and I’m here to colonize Earth.”

“Dude, we all know that’s Marx, not you! His name even sounds like Mars!” 

“Seriously though, I’m the head technician for New Clear Energy. I basically oversee everything and make sure it all works.”

“So it’d be a real shame if something happened to ya, if what you’re saying?” Mugman asked, a malicious grin emerging across his face.

“M-Mugman!?” Jones exclaimed. “I swear, if I’m the first to go…!”

“Nah, I’m just messing with ya, or am I?” Mugman said, grabbing the screwdriver.

“I’m gonna go now!” Jones grabbed the screwdriver by its red handle and tossed it in the laundry basket, scooped up the basket, and was on his way.

“Whew, I think that’s all of it!” Tails sighed, dropping a box of plasticware on the ground.

“So…” Todd poked the tip of his noodley arms together. “About me having the key…”

“Ah, Yes. I’ve thought about it, and I wouldn’t mind letting you hold on to it.” Yor said.

“But what if Todd-!” 

“Kills someone? He would never, right Todd?” Mugman argued, pulling Todd in close.

“Yeah! That’s more of a Marx thing to do!” Todd said. 

“Y’know, most of the things we confiscated feel like… necessities?” Tails said. “Like, I can’t really tinker without a screwdriver!”

“Well, Yor brought us here because she thought we were the “Most Grounded”, so I’m sure we could trust you with just one screwdriver!” Mugman said, handing the red handled screwdriver to the fox. “Any objections? Great, then we’ll meet up-!”

Ding Dong

“Attention all you Scholars, it is now 10 PM!” Monokuma cheered from the corner monitor. “You know what that meeeeans!”

As the group was leaving, Yor called out. “Thank you all for the help!”

Monokuma Theatre!!!

“Ugh, burn out stinks! See, I used to work at a carnival, and us Monos were always given so much work! It was fun at first, especially knowing that I was kinda famous, but once the deadly beast of burn out struck, it became so exhausting! Every day I went to that place felt like a drag, like I had to force myself to do even the most basic things! So I broke out! The place we went after was even worse, though! Man, I hate dictators!”

Day 4 - Thursday

253 Days Since Last Incident.

Ding Dong

“Good Morning Class! Go uh, to the kitchen or something! Papa-Kuma’s gonna take a day off today, so don’t go dying!”

“Another day, huh?” Mugman muttered to himself. He sat up and stretched his arms, ready for a safe day in the Mono-Komplex (Name Unknown).

“A-Ah, would you please give me some space?” Volo said, trying to push away a drooling Patrick. “R-Ryuji, some help please!?”

“Sorry, Man, but I don’t really work with idiots.” Ryuji said, kicking his shoes onto the table. “Unless they’re cats.”

“When’s breakfast gonna be ready?” Patrick groaned. “I’m Hungy!”

“This isn’t for you!!” Volo exclaimed, kicking at the star.

Mugman took a seat across from Yor. Watching everyone interacting, he couldn’t help but smile. It was loud, yet relaxing. Perhaps he could’ve stayed that way a little longer if it weren’t for…

“HELP! HEEEELP!” Cuphead shouted, skirting into the doorway. “MUGMAN’S DEAD!”

“For Real!?” Ryuji shouted. 

“I knocked on his door to wake him up, but he didn’t respond!” Cuphead cried. “A-And when I opened the door, he wasn’t there!”

“Maybe he just woke up early and wanted to get some work done in the office?” Yor said, moving her chair to partially cover Mugman.

“Mugsy? In the office!? He would never!” Cuphead exclaimed. “We both know he’s the goofball and I’m the responsible one, so he would never go to the office!”

“Yeah, Right…” Donut said.

Mugman held a finger to his mouth, shushing everyone in the room, as he began sneaking out of the kitchen and behind Cuphead.

“If only we knew who caused this tragedy!” Cuphead said.

“Ooooh I’m the ghost of Mugman!” Mugmany said, twirling his fingers around Cup’s Head. “My soul has not yet been laid to rest, and it’s all because of YOU!”

“Wh-Wha!?” He shouted, flinching back. “How can I lay you to rest, oh dear brother!?”

“You must admit your deepest darkest secret, and I shall let you go unscathed!”

“R-Remember when your ice cream went missing, and I said I saw The Elder Kettle eating it!?” Cuphead pleaded. “It was actually me! I ate your ice cream!”

“Really? That’s your deepest, darkest secret?” Mugman asked. “I-I mean, Ooooh, you’ve done well. I shall take your secret to the grave. ”

“Oh thank the-was that a pun?” 

“Now that we’re done with that charade, can you tell me where all of our utensils are!?” Volo shouted. “All that’s left are spoons! How can I eat a fried egg with Spoons !?”

“Oh uh…” Mugman froze.

“They’re locked in the Janitor’s closet.” Yor said. “ He has the key.”

“Yup! It’s in my ultra secret spot!” Todd said.

“Is your ultra secret spot under your pillow?” Stan asked.

“H-How’d you know my ultra secret spot!?”

Stan sighed. “Cause that’s my ultra secret spot too.”

“Are we gonna just, not elaborate?” Donut asked. 

“I can’t practice using a knife if we don’t have knives!” Marx exclaimed.

“...Why have you been practicing with a knife?” Lana asked.

“Oh, I haven’t been!” He said. “Still can’t practice though!”

“That still doesn’t answer the question!” Cia slammed her staff into the ground once more. 

“Well, we’ve decided to minimize any risks and put an end to Monokuma’s killing game.” Yor continued. “The first step to that is locking away any and all weapons, which has now been done.”

“And part two is?” Volo asked impatiently.

“Hey Yor!” Matpat called, scurrying into the room. “About that “Replinishable Food Source” idea…”

Matpat revealed a pot of soil with a small cap sprouting beyond the top.

“NOOOOO!” Ryuji anguished. “We have to live off of fungus!?”

“Not quite!” Matpat said, placing the pot on the table. “Well, yes, but it goes deeper than that! You see, this is growing Mushrooms! Due to the threat of all our important systems being cut off, we need something that doesn’t just grow in harsh conditions, we need something that Thrives!”

“And if that little shroom is anything to go off of, I’d say it’s working amazingly!” Tails cheered. “What else should we do to prepare?”

“We’re gonna need to collect a lot of water, of course.” Yor continued. “Later today, we’ll get buckets from the janitor’s closet, wash them out, and fill each and every one.”

“Hey uh,, I don’t really feel safe having… that so close to me…” Donut said, his legs quivering. 

“What? Y’scared of a little shroom?” Wario taunted, pushing the pot towards Donut. “Wah! I’m a small, miniscule mushroom, and I’m gonna rock ya!”

Wario and Marx burst out laughing.

“Why can’t we just eat the good food?” Cuphead asked.

“Cuz it won’t be good forever!” Todd said. “We gotta have some backup, right?”

“Yeah but mushrooms are gross!” 

“If our sauces are fine, I don’t mind living off shrooms!” Goh said, appearing in the doorway behind Cuphead. “Wh-What’s with all the weird faces?”

“AH! A GHOST!” Patrick shouted.

“I-I’m not a ghost!!” Goh flailed. “I just needed to take yesterday off!”

“A-Are you sure you’re in the position to be up?” Lana asked. “W-We still have a lot to talk about, y’know.”

“As much as Monokuma would love for me to be down in the dumps, nothing can keep this prince down!” Goh flaunted. “I assure you, I’m just fine!”

“Well, if that’s all settled, why don’t we break for today?”

“One more thing!” Marx said, pulling the fridge open with his teeth. “Mugman, catch!” 

He tossed the cold dish of whipped cream to Mugman, who caught it and slammed it into Cia’s face.

The room fell deafeningly quiet,  as the pie dish fell to the ground with a splat, and Cia began to grow more and more furious.

“Marx, Run!!” Mugman ordered.

“Why you little…” Cia muttered, wiping whipped cream off her face. “Get Your Ass Over Here!!”

Cia gave chase to Mugman across the Mono-Komplex, cornering him time and time again, but Mugman continued to escape.

It wasn’t until a voice called from the hallway that this winding chase would die down.

“Quick, Mugman, Get in!” Todd shouted, waving him into his room at the end of the hallway.

He slammed the door and locked it. The two huddled close to the bed as Cia’s banging stopped, and she left.

“Whew, y’really saved my handle there!” Mugman sighed.

“Oh, I’m sure she wouldn’t have gotten violent, right?” Todd said. “O-Oh, you didn’t mean that literally, did you?”

“No I did. My handle’s kinda loose, so I’ve gotta be gentle with it.”

“Aw geez, that sounds like a really big secret! I can’t help but feel like I’ve gotta reveal something about myself now!”

Mugman gave a cocky smile, waiting for the Turnip’s next word.

“Well, one time at my job, me and my co-workers were really bored so we… uh…”

“Go ahead, I won’t tell.” Mugman said, a devilish grin carved into his face.

“We broke every single window!” Todd said, rushing the words out as fast as he could. “I know, I know! Perfect Goody Two Shoes Todd caused 50 thousand dollars in damages!?”

“That’s crazy! I never woulda expected you to do something like that!”

“Yeah, Yeah.” Todd said, rubbing his head. “I would say they docked our pay, but we were already getting paid less than a few cheeseburgers for cleaning a tower with, like, 50 stories!”

“Isn’t that… illegal?” Mugman asked. “Like… very illegal?”

“Well technically it’s a charity.”

“...What?”

“A-Anyways, how are you adjusting to this new lifestyle?”

“It’s uh, rough to say the least.” Mugman spun around in Todd’s chair. “I miss playing in the fields of inkwell isles with Cuphead into the evening, getting ravaged by mosquitos…”

“Well, with Yor’s plan, I’d bank on seeing that sun again!” Todd reassured Mugman. “Just a few weeks and we’ll all be out together!”

“I think you’d like The Elder Kettle.” Mugman said. “You’ve both got this sense of pureness.”

“I guess I’ll have to pay him a visit when we leave, then!”

“We’ll have a large bowl of soup ready for you!”

Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock.

The singing of Mugman’s clock was the only sound to be heard In Mugman’s room. The mug tossed a blanket rolled into a ball in the air to the rhythm of the clock’s hands. A light flick of the wrist to a tick. The weight of the ball landing in his hand to a tock. It was still early, but in this walled off purgatory, how you and I define time was best to be forgotten. And so, as his eyelids grew heavy, his legs flattened over his blankets, his throwing fell out of rhythm, and as he drifted off, the balled up blanket smacked his face.

CRASH!!!

Ding Dong

“Good Morning Everyone! It’s now 7 AM once again!” Monokuma cheered. “Something very special is waiting for you today, so let’s get a move on!”

Mugman groaned, pulling the unballed blanket over his face. A small thud was heard as the tablet for Monokuma Theatre hit the floor.

Ding Dong

“Ugh! What Now?” Mugman whined, shifting his attention to the monitor.

Monokuma peered through the monitor, as if he was peering into Mugman’s very soul. “A Body Has Been Discovered! Make your way to the kitchen to start your investigation!”

Before he could process what had been said, Mugman was up and out of bed. His blankets left in disarray as he burst through the door. His steps slowed. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath as he prepared himself for what he was about to witness.

Mugman opened his eyes.

His eyes shot open and his hand masked his mouth. A chill raced around Mugman’s nerves, freezing him up as he fell to his knees. White shards tipped with red sat in the puddle of crimson. He was sprawled out across the floor, his white gloves forever stained. Laying before Mugman’s eyes was the long gone body of his dear brother, stripped away from him forever.

Chapter Text

“Ha! Gotcha! It was just a prank!”

Ba-Dump

“Ey Mugsy! Y’gonna keep standin’ there, or what?”

Ba-Dump

Tears welled up in Mugman’s eyes. Colors began to mix and mash, masking his vision in harsh blacks and blinding whites. 

Ba-Dump

He reached out, but his waning strength forced his arm to drop, crashing into the clay below his knees.

Ba-Dump

His eyes darted around the room, taking count the grey figures watching him. He grabbed his brother’s cold hand, and squeezed it.

Ba-Dump

And Cuphead squeezed back.

The tears spilt, as a warm clutch surrounded Mugman.

“I’m so sorry…” Lana said, tightening her hold around him.

The room was silent. No weeping, No condolences, just the occasional gasp when someone first saw the sight.

All 16 had gathered again, though no words could be spoken. It had been 10 seconds since Mugman arrived. 10 seconds since Mugman’s world began to burn. And it would only be another 10 before they were forced to forget the tragedy.

“Ding Dong! Ding Dong!” Monokuma shouted. “I will now explain the rules of the investigation!”

Lana shot a tear filled glare at the bear, as Mugman began to release Cuphead’s now warm hand.

“Can’t you give us some time to cope with, w-well this!?” Volo exclaimed.

“Oh? And why should I do that?” Monokuma asked. “Surely Mugman wouldn’t wanna dwell on his poor brother’s rotting corpse!?”

“Why you little…!” Stan shouted. “I-I’ll crush you!”

“Aw, you and what army?” Monokuma taunted further.

“Guys!” Blood stained Mugman’s shorts as he rose from his brother’s side. “Let’s start the investigation. It’s all we can do.”

“Great! I’ll explain the rules properly when the trial starts!” Monokuma continued. “For now, you all have 3 hours! Good Luck!”

“Are you sure you’ll be okay?” Donut asked.

“Yeah.” He said. “Besides, I’m supposed to be the mature one out of the two of us.”

Investigation Start

“How’re we even supposed to do this!?” Marx exclaimed. “There’s so many places to look, and it’s not like we’ll even know if it’s important, a-and-!”

“Let’s split up.” Yor suggested. “I can lead the investigation. I only feel it’s my fault this happened, so it’s the least I could do.”

“I can do it.” Mugman argued. “I won’t stand by idly while other people solve my brother's murder.”

“Then at least allow me to assist you.” Yor asked.

Mugman nodded, before approaching Cuphead’s body once more. He knelt down, grabbed his hand, and whispered something.

“Alright, we’ve got 4 major locations to check!” Mugman explained. “Todd’s leading the charge in the kitchen, so that leaves us to lead the Laundry Room, Office, and Exit’s investigations!”

“Sounds good, where to first?” Yor asked.

“I call dibs on the Laundry Room!” Marx said, bouncing away.

“I guess we could start with the Exit. Shouldn’t take too long, right?” Mugman said.

“Sounds good.” Yor said. “Lead the way!”

The two quietly walked towards the grey door. Mugman hadn’t noticed how out of place it was until now, almost like it wasn’t always there. He pulled the door open, and stepped to the side to allow Yor to enter before him.

“Thank you!” She beamed, before flicking the light to the dingy hallway. 

The dungeon-like hallway felt foreboding to Mugman. From the newly formed cracks in the ground to the fresh spiderwebs hiding in the corner, he couldn’t help but feel like something was wrong. His eyes were having trouble adjusting to the heavenly light of the lively dying bulbs, when the glare subsided, he continued the search.

“If there’s nothing here, shouldn’t we be on our way?” Mugman asked, signalling towards the door.

“We haven’t checked the janitor’s closet yet, though.”

“Well, it’s locked, so we’ll have to go ask Todd for-!”

Yor pushed the door open, retrieving a small staple from its lock. Yor bowed, offering the door to Mugman.

Mugman jostled the closet when inside, searching for the light switch. He flicked it on, revealing a sight most shocking.

Inside the Janitor’s Closet was… everything. Right where they had left it. Sure, a few objects had fallen out of place, but the few blunt objects were still there, sparkling and shining in the closet’s light, desperate to keep glowing. 

“Anything stick out to you?” Yor asked.

“I-It’s the exact same as the other day, save for some dust here and there!” Mugman stammered, rummaging through the boxes for any potential clue, but there was nothing. “What now!? What Else Could’ve…”

Cuphead’s headless corpse appeared in Mugman’s head. The pain of everything feeling so vivid. His heart raced, and his pupils dilated.

“We shouldn’t dwell on it for now.” Yor said, grabbing Mugman’s shoulder. “That’s what the trial is for, after all.”

“I-I… Yeah, let’s check the office.”

The two walked together. The hallway felt as though it stretched for miles now, surrounding them by the new cracks, fresh cobwebs, lively dying lights, and now, the now damp ceiling, slowly dribbling water onto the floor. Breath in. Breath out. That’s all Mugman could do as he ventured through the endless hallway. Were the cracks in the walls there when he entered? No, they couldn’t have been, he would’ve noticed. Yor opened the door, offering it to Mugman once again. He carefully stepped into the light, and looked back. The Janitor’s Closet door was only about 8 feet away. Yor shut the door behind her, and the hallway was layed to rest in the same state it has for years.

“Well then, shall we continue to the office?”

“W-Wait!” Matpat called. “Stan and I did a full report on Cuphead’s corpse, and we found something oh so interesting!”

“Oh?” Yor tilted her head.

“Now, I’m not entirely sure what it means, but there were shards of porcelain underneath his stomach, a-almost like he fell on to his head!”

“N-No, No!” Mugman flailed. “Our heads aren’t that fragile! If he fell on his head, then at most it would’ve chipped, b-but it was shattered!”

“Noted!” Matpat said, scribbling something down in a small notepad. “Actually, what if we discuss what we’ve found over a drink?”

“We uh…” Mugman struggled to find the words in his mind. He couldn’t just say he’s found nothing yet!

“Unfortunately, we’ve found nothing yet.” Yor said. “But I wouldn’t mind sitting down for tea!”

“Alright, I’ll get Donut to brew some. How about you, Mugman?” 

“Oh, I-I’ll just take a cola, if that’s fine.”

“Actually I think Patrick drank all the cola, so…” Matpat tapped his fingers together. “Like, 12 cans all poured in a bucket…”

“Oh, okay.” Mugman said. “I’ll find something later then.”

 “Well, this case won’t solve itself! See Ya!”

Mugman gave a feeble wave, his hand barely above his waist.

“How are you holding up?” Yor asked, kneeling down to Mugman’s eye level.

“I’m fine.” Mugman said, taking a deep breath. “I promise.”

“Well, if you ever need to rest, you just let me know.”

Mugman smiled, and turned to the double doors.

Pushing them open, nothing inside jumped out at them. The heavy wooden desk had yet to move, and the leather chair still sat facing the door. 

“Are we sure there’s anything in here?” Mugman asked, turning to Yor.

“We can’t be sure till we’ve really looked at it!”

“Y-Yeah, but… It’s just the office. Nothing at all has changed!”

“Well, I doubt our killer would leave a bright red arrow pointing to a drawer, would they?” Yor asked.

“Heh, I guess you’re right.” Mugman chuckled. “I’ll get the desk if you can check the shelves, maybe?”

“You got it!”

Mugman crawled through the small space between the two thick legs of the desk, and rose on the other side. Gazing upon this side of the desk for the first time, he noticed the sheer amount of drawers. 7 to be exact. 3 on the left, 3 on the right, and one large one reaching across the whole desk.

He got to searching, shuffling through the largest drawer first, before moving to the left side, going top to bottom, but nothing was showing. Papers, files, dull pencils, a whole drawer of just eraser tops, more papers, more files, a screwdriver with a red hilt, even more papers!

“Grah!” Mugman shouted. “I swear, there’s nothing here!”

“Maybe you’re right.” Yor said. “All we can do for now is move on to the next room.”

“And what if there’s nothing there either!?” Mugman continued. “It’s already been an hour and a half, and we have nothing!”

“That’s not true.” Yor smirked. “I’d say we can already solve half the case with what we have.”

“With what!?” Mugman shouted, with shaky breaths. “Both The Office and Closet Haven’t An Inch! How Does That Help!?”

“It’ll all make sense during the trial.” Yor said. “Besides, if we can’t figure it out, I bet Cuphead’s taught you how to guilt trip pretty well.”

Yor waved her hand to the door, head over her shoulder to face Mugman, before leaving the room.

Mugman collapsed into the leather chair, and took a deep breath. 

“ I’ve gotta keep going. ” He thought. “ I can’t let my emotions get the better of me… ” 

…Or something like that.

“What’ve we got here?” Mugman asked, waltzing into the laundry room.

“Dude, you’re never gonna guess what I found!” Marx beamed. “Come! Come Come!”

He hopped to the back right corner of the room and knelt down, making room for Mugman to peer from above him. Sitting in the corner was a Daddy Long Legs, sitting still in the corner.

“I-Hu-Wh-What is this??”

“It’s a little dude!” Marx said. “Say hi little dude!” 

“Aren’t there more… important matters afoot?” Yor asked.

“Oh please, like this little guy isn’t important.”

“Well yes, but don’t you think-”

“I just love bugs.” Marx said, a smile across his face.

“That’s great, but-”

“They know so little of the world around them! You could destroy their entire habitat, but as long as you provide them with another, they’d never complain.” Marx continued. “They’re Simple Minded. Weak. Controllable.”

Mugman’s frustration couldn’t be contained much longer. Steam began blowing out of his straw,  as the white liquid in his head began to bubble.

“I Can’t Take It Anymore!!!” He shouted.

“Mugman!?” Marx exclaimed, tumbling forward, crushing the bug.

“We’ve Found Nothing!! There’s No Other Way To Look At It!!!” Mugman cried out, falling to his knees. “I Just Wish… I Just Wish I Could See Everything I Needed!!!”

Like a genie was hiding just around the corner, everything went black and white. Marx and Yor’s features faded, and glowing lights began to sparkle in his vision. While facing the door, there was one at 2 O’ Clock, one far ahead at 1, one at 10:30 O’ Clock, and one at 11. A deafening ringing coursed through Mugman’s very soul, making his blood pulse. The stars began to expand, invading his vision with pure, blinding, darkness. Darkness so bright, Mugman’s body gave in.

“So, y’think you can help?”

A high pitched voice danced around Mugman.

“Y’kiddin!? Of Course I Can!”

He felt as though he was lost.

“Just, be gentle, okay?”

Was he even alive?

“No can do!”

Maybe… It was better like this. If he stayed in this state of limbo, he wouldn’t have to face-!

“G-GRAH!!” Mugman exclaimed, coughing and weezing as he shot up.

“Wario.” Yor said with an underlying rage. “I said gentle.”

“C’mon! How’m I supposed to shoulderbash someone’s stomach gently!” Wario argued. “Whatever, I’m outta here!!”

“Wha…” Mugman glanced around the laundry room, like he’d never been before. “What happened?”

“You shouted like “I Just Wanna See Stuff!!” Then passed out.” Marx said. “Kinda funny, honestly.”

“Marx was worried about you.” Yor added.

Drip

“N-No! W-Well, I was kinda but not like-”

Drip

“He’s been pacing for 30 minutes.”

Drip

“No I haven’t!!!” Marx flailed. “Mugsy, you don’t believe this wretched woman, do you!?”

Drip

“I don’t see her lying about something like that, so…”

Drip

“No!!!” Marx cried. “She’s-Hey hold on, do you guys hear that?”

Drip

“What?” Mugman asked, honing his ears a little more. “The dripping?”

Drip

“Yeah… Where’s it coming from?”

Drip

Mugman got up from the corner and glanced behind the washer.

Shoddily fastened into the wall was an L shaped pipe, dripping water from the point connected to the wall.

“Ooh, did you find something?” Marx stumbled, falling into the washer, creating a Rube Goldberg contraption of inconvenience.

Marx pushed the washer closer to the wall, which in turn trapped Mugman between a rock and a hard machine. When he pushed the washer back, Mugman lost his balance, and fell directly above the pipe.

“Careful.” Yor said, snatching Mugman by the back of his shirt. “Don’t wanna chip your mug, now.”

“Phew, thanks Yor. I was just worried that-!” The pipe popped out of its place, spraying water anywhere and everywhere.

Freeing himself from Yor’s clutches, Mugman desperately tried to fit the pipe back in. 

“Dude, just like, wedge it in!” Marx said, dodging raining water droplets.

“I… Can’t!” He continued. “One side isn’t screwed in very well, so it’s really hard to keep in place!!”

“C’mon! You Can Do This!!”

“I… I Know I Can!” Mugman Shouted. “I Will Put It Back In-”

“Towel?” Marx looked down, presenting the towel resting on his hat.

Mugman grabbed it, and enveloped himself in his new cloth cocoon.

Ding Dong

“Attention all personnel!” Monokuma cheered through the monitor. “Three hours are up, so It’s time for the trial! Please head to the office so we can get started!”

Yor stopped just before opening the door, and turned to Mugman. “Are you feeling alright?” She asked.

“Y-Yeah.” Mugman agreed, tossing the towel aside. “I’m feeling better than ever!”

“13, 14, aaaand, 16!” Monokuma stood tall on the office’s heavy desk. “Now then, are you all ready to see something awesome!?”

“Hey, Mugman!” Todd whispered, yanking the cup from the front of the office towards the back. “Let’s share our evidence!”

“O-Oh, uh, I didn’t really get too much…” Mugman responded. “But if you’d still like to tell me what you-!”

“Great! Okay so get this!” Todd scrambled through his clipboard, flipping through poorly filled pieces of paper. “You know how Tails had a screwdriver so he could still work on random stuff!?”

“Y-Yeah, what about it?”

“Turns out, Goh took it for something, but then, someone stole it from Goh!” Todd said. “No one knows where it is now, b-but, it’s gotta be important! I’m A Genius!!”

“Hehe, I guess you-!”

“HEY!” Monokuma shouted, slamming his foot against the table. “I’m showing a cool trick! Pay. Attention!”

Monokuma turned to the bookshelf at the back of the room, and began pulling random books out of the case, then pushing them back in. After around 17 books, the room began to shake, and the bookshelf to the left of the entrance popped open, revealing a secret door.

“After you.” He bowed.  “Wait no why would I say that LMAO!” Monokuma laughed, waddling into the room and jumping into one of the ceiling tiles.

Inside the grey, concrete room was just one lone pair of metal doors, accompanied by a rectangular panel with a single button.

“Ooh, an elevator!” Ryuji said, tapping the control panel’s button.

“Where do you guys think we’re going?” Tails asked.

“Hopefully to the Krusty Krab!” Patrick chimed in. “I have a reservation!”

“Well, judging by what Monokuma said, we’re probably going to some sort of court.” Donut explained. 

“But then who’d the jury be?” Jones asked. “Unless there’s other Monos waiting for us!?”

“Yeah right.” Cia scoffed. “You want me to believe Monokuma actually has friends?”

“If he did though, I wonder what animals they’d be!?” Matpat exclaimed. “Maybe a bunny? A bee? A dog!?”

“The dog was not the most outlandish thing you said there.” Lana said, mustering a small smile.

“I thought it’d just be other bears.” Ryuji said. “What do you think, Volo?”

“Hm…” He thought for a moment, before giving his piece. “A cat, A snake, and A bird.”

Ding!

“Sounds like you found the secret passcode!” Donut said.

The two metal doors slid open, welcoming the 16 into the quite spacious elevator with shiny grey walls and a muted brown carpet. Everyone spread out as much as they could, though some shoulders still touched.

The clunking and rattling of an overworked elevator echoed through the area. It felt as though time was slowing as they descended. Seconds turned to minutes, and minutes felt like hours, until they finally arrived.

The elevator’s doors opened once more, revealing a large courtroom. 17 wooden podiums formed a circle, resting on black and red carpet. The ceiling stretched so high, even the white pillars in each corner, just in front of the black and white checkered walls, stopped reaching. Who could have guessed hell would be so classy?

“Attention Jury! Please stand!” Monokuma demanded.

He shared no chairs for any other potential guests, so the question of who their jury, judge and executioner would be were pretty obvious.

“I said Attention Jury!” Monokuma shouted. “Take your damn stands!”

“Who is the jury, exactly?” Lana asked, raising her hand.

“You Guys!!!” He shouted. “Ugh, didn’t I explain this!?”

“Pretty sure you said you’d explain when we actually started the trial.” Ryuji said.

“Perhaps, Monokuma is testing our initiative to judge which of us are worth betting on, but for why we may not know.” Patrick explained.

“Y-Yeah, he’s right!” Monokuma agreed. “It was merely my genius mind thinking up the way to judge your intellect, and it would appear I’ve succeeded!”

“Excuse Me!?” Volo snarled. “What do you mean Patrick was right!? H-He can’t even put his pants on correctly!”

“Maybe he’s been lying to you and he’s actually the smartest one here?” Cia suggested. “Oh, but I wouldn’t expect the likes of you guys to even think that.”

“I did!” Matpat said. “Though, it’s probably because of my previous research on Starfish…”

“Would you all shut up about Patrick!?” Monokuma flailed. “We’ve got more important things to worry about!!!”

“We were talking about me?” Patrick asked. “Oh Boy! I’m Famous! Just you wait till I tell Spongebob about this!”

“Monokuma’s right.” Mugman said. “It’s time to start the trial.”

Everyone spread out, each taking a stand at one of the beige wooden podiums.

“Hey Monokuma!” Marx whined, his short stature preventing him from getting close to seeing over the podium. “How'mI supposed to… do anything?”

“Ugh! Just like, go grab a stool over there.” 

“Free Stools?” Wario asked, rubbing his hands together. “Don’t mind if I do!”

“I will now explain the rules to the class trial!” Monokuma cheered. “You will all be given 3 hours to discuss amongst yourself how Mugman’s Brother was murdered in cold blood! Either when those three hours are up, or one of you requests it, voting will start. You must vote, or you will be punished! If the most voted person is the cup killer, they’ll be punished, but if not, everyone else will be punished!”

“What do you mean punished?” Yor asked.

“Well isn’t that just the joy of mystery?”

“Let’s not dwell on fate, and instead begin.” Volo suggested. “Would anyone like to start?”

Non-Stop Debate Explanation!!!

Now, before we move on, we must explain what a Non-Stop Debate even is, because they’re crucial to understanding the trial! (And it’s part of my contract.)

During a Non-Stop Debate, our jury will throw statements and arguments non-stop , hence the name! During the chaos, someone may get a fact or two wrong . When this happens, any member on the jury may interrupt, halting the entire debate, but be ready to argue! These interjections might just flip the entire case on its head, so watch out for them!

Got all that? Good, let’s begin!

Non-Stop Debate!!!

Matpat: Alright, first we gotta think about who would have a reason to kill Cuphead!

Ryuji: Well, it’s not like he pissed anyone in particular off, right?

Tails: He did push Donut off his chair on the first day…

Tails:  But that wouldn’t warrant killing, right?

Cia: We don’t have anything else, do we?

Donut: Hey! He pushed me out of my chair to flirt with Yor, so maybe she did it!

Volo: Up until his untimely passing, he was also pantsing Ryuji at any chance he got.

Ryuji: Wh-Why would I kill someone over that, dude!?

Wario: That little bugger kept putting butter on my door!

Patrick: Nope! That was me!

Marx: Wait a minute…

Marx: Don’t Cuphead and Goh have a bit of a rivalry going on?

Marx: Well, had .

Goh: W-What!? I’ve barely talked to Cuphead!!”

Stan: Sounds like the kinda thing a killer would wanna cover up, eh?

“ Wasn’t someone… lying there” Mugman thought. “ But who? ”

Matpat: Alright, first we gotta think about who would have a reason to kill Cuphead!

Ryuji: Well, it’s not like he pissed anyone in particular off , right?

Tails: He did push Donut off his chair on the first day…

Tails:  But that wouldn’t warrant killing, right?

Cia: We don’t have anything else, do we ?

“Wait a minute, That’s wrong!”

“The first thing Cuphead did when we woke up was make fun of Cia’s spells!” Mugman said. “And with your… explosive personality, I could see you trying to get revenge!”

“Oh? You’re accusing me?” Cia scoffed. “What a pity, though, I don’t mind going down with this ship of losers.”

“Cia!” Lana flailed.

“Shouldn’t we talk about that whole Goh and Cuphead rivalry?” Donut asked. “That sounds pretty important if you ask me.”

“Well it seems like the man in question doesn’t wanna talk.” Volo said.

“B-Because there wasn’t any rivalry between us!!” Goh pleaded. “I didn’t do anything!!”

“Well then, what were you doing last night?” Mugman asked.

“W-Well, I was doodling in my room, when I went to get a drink. I didn’t lock my door cuz I knew I wouldn’t be very long, but when I got back, my door was wide open. I didn’t notice anything gone, but looking back, I think Tails’ screwdriver was missing.”

“That’s not what you were doin’ though.” Ryuji said. “Like, what happened after that?”

“I went to bed, cause I was scared!”

“And didn’t think to let anyone know about the missing murder weapon?” Yor continued.

“Hold on!” Stan said. “Why did Goh have Tails’ screwdriver to begin with?!”

“Oh right! Todd told me that Goh was borrowing it because something was stuck in his vent!” Mugman explained.

“Or he was just borrowing it to shatter his rival.” Volo said.

Goh began cracking, his voice growing shaky.

“I-I… I didn’t…”

“Woah, Hey! Lay off the kid!” Marx demanded. “We’re all stressed out, and piling the stress onto one kid could just get a false confession, don’tcha think?”

“But weren’t you the one who accused him to begin with?” Tails asked. “With the rivalry thing.”

“Oh that? Yeah, I lied!” Marx smirked. “There was no rivalry! I don’t even think the two talked, like ever!”

“Dude!” Ryuji said. “That’s just annoying!”

“You better have a good reason for getting my hopes up about the kid!” Wario added.

“Oh I did! We have some crucial evidence now, don’t we?”

The room sat quiet for a second, before Matpat broke the silence. 

“Aha! The screwdriver!” He beamed. “It had to be important if someone needed to steal it!”

“But what would they need it for?” Jones asked.

Non-Stop Debate!!!

Stan: I’m a little confused…

Stan: Why’s a missing screwdriver such a big deal?

Donut: Because Yor and the others locked all the weapons up , with the sole exception of that screwdriver!

Lana: So if we can figure out who took the screwdriver, we’ll know who did it ?

Volo: Do we even know where it ended up?

Todd: I Do !

Todd: It was in one of the office’s drawers!

Ryuji: Uh, how would a screwdriver shatter Cuphead anyways?

Jones: Maybe they cracked him with the screwdriver, then shattered him on the ground ?

Cia: It’d explain the lack of a proper weapon .

“ Something’s wrong here, but what? ”

Jones: Maybe they cracked him with the screwdriver, then shattered him on the ground ?

“That’s Wrong!!!”

“During the investigation, Stan and Matpat found shards of porcelain underneath his chest, which means his head had to have shattered before his body hit the ground!”

“So this tells us a whole lot about the case, right!?” Ryuji exclaimed. “Not that I need you guys to tell me, of course!”

“Well then, what does it tell us?” Cia asked.

“Oh uh, that’s uh… I got nothing…”

“Well if his head shattered while he was still standing, then either he let himself die, or whatever killed him happened so fast, he couldn’t even react!” Donut said.

“Then whoever killed Cuphead had to have used a blunt weapon-!” Mugman declared.

“Now Hold On Just A Minute.”

“You lot sure are gullible, huh?” Volo smirked. “It’s pathetic how quick you are to grasp at straws.”

Rebuttal Showdown Explanation!!!

Trials aren’t just composed of Non-Stop Debates, in fact they’re normally built of 3 parts! The Rebuttal Showdown is when one person challenges our current lead detective’s statements. The challenger will lay out their points, with no chance of shutting them down. That is, until our detective finds a crucial mistake in their story, and can call them out, winning the showdown!

Rebuttal Showdown!!!

Volo: You sheep are so quick to run in the direction of an easy way out…

That you haven’t even considered the obvious truths.

You’ve built your whole thesis on the fact that there was porcelain underneath his body, but that means nothing!

Advance!

Volo: Any smart killer would know to leave red herrings…

Such as evidence pointing to a different solution!

Combined with the lack of anything that could be used as a blunt weapon , it’s clear that-!

“That’s Wrong!!!”

“I know exactly what could be used as a weapon, that still takes everything into account!”

“Oh?” Volo asked. “ Even the screwdriver?”

“Even the screwdriver.” Mugman said. “I think the killer unscrewed one of the washing machine’s pipes to use as a weapon!”

Non-Stop Debate Explanation Part 2!!!

During a Non-Stop Debate, calling out lies isn’t the only thing to be done! If there’s nothing quite wrong with anyones statements, maybe try watching for anything to agree with! Sometimes it’s the missing piece you need to move forward in your arguement!

Non-Stop Debate!!!

Yor: Those pipes, hm?

Marx: Oh, you mean the ones that exploded in our faces!?

Tails: Wait, they did!?

Tails: Were you messing with them at all?!

Marx: Well they were dripping, so Mugsy tried to fix ‘em, and they burst!

Todd: If they were dripping, then someone probably tampered with them !

Stan: You’re kiddin’, the mug was right !?

Patrick: But if the laundry is broken, how am I supposed to teach Goh how to do his laundry ?

Goh: W-What?!

Jones: Well, saying something was tampered with is vague . 

Jones: What kind of tampering anyways?

Cia: It very could just be a loose screw , y’know.

Cia: Not everything ties into your little game!

“ Someone’s right, I’m sure of it.”

Cia: It very could just be a loose screw , y’know.

“I agree with that!!!”

“I think whoever used the pipe didn’t quite know how to put it back together, leaving a clear sign of its use!”

“So if we figure out who stole the screwdriver from Goh, then we’ll know who did it!” Lana beamed. 

“But how in gold’s sake are we supposed to figure that out!?” Wario asked. “All we know is someone went into Goh’s room!”

“If only we had something to go off of!” Donut said.

“Eh, I’m bored.” Marx shrugged. “You realized it too, right Yor?”

“Well, it was quite hard to miss.” She agreed.

“D-Do you two know who did it?” Goh stammered.

“Yup, and it all lies in your story about the screwdriver.” Marx smirked. “Can you go ahead and repeat it for us?”

“O-Oh, well, I guess I could…” Goh took a deep, shaky breath. “Last night I went to get a cola from the kitchen, a-and when I got back to my room, my door was wide open, and the screwdriver was missing.”

“And you’re 100% sure you grabbed a cola?” Yor continued.

“Y-Yeah?”

“You know, it does seem strange that someone would know exactly when to go into your room and take the screwdriver?” Volo asked. “They would’ve had to be very patient, not even accounting for the fact that they likely didn’t know you had it.”

“W-Well that’s what happened!!!” Goh flailed. “I grabbed a cola and someone broke into my-!”

“Hold on.” Mugman interjected. “I thought we ran out of colas a few days ago.”

“Oh My Gosh!” Matpat exclaimed. “I didn’t even realize that!!”

“W-Wait a minute, you can’t be serious!!!” Goh pleaded.

Bullet Time Battle Explanation!!!

This is it Luigi , the final battle of the trial. Once you’ve caught the killer red handed, they’re likely to attempt to desperately fight back. During a situation like this it’s best to remain calm, take a deep breath, and shatter everything they say. Look for the one point in their emotional babbling that you can disprove with facts and logic!!!

Bullet Time Battle!!!

Goh: A-Am I seriously being accused because I said I got a cola!?

That’s just absurd!!!

Surely you’d have more concrete evidence than that!!

Advance!

Goh: So what if I lied about getting a cola!

You still have no proof that I did anything!!

Why are you even leading the investigation anyways!?

Advance!!

Goh: This case is a failure!

We don’t have any evidence, a-and that’s not my fault, it’s yours!!

You Have Nothing! No Evidence, No Motive!!!

Finish It!!!

Goh: I barely even knew Cuphead, what reason would I have to kill him!?

Mugman: What about the present Monokuma gave you the other day?

Complete!!!!!!!

“I-I…” Goh sniffled, his whole body visibly shaking.

“Now hold on a minute!” Stan shouted. “I’ve been struggling to keep up with this whole trial, can someone please explain why it’s the kid?”

“Yeah, I’m a little confused too.” Donut added. “Plus, I think it’d be nice to have a

Closing Statement Explanation!!!

So you done it, but before you can vote, you should make sure everyone fully understands the case, just so we don’t have any mishaps when it comes to voting. During this limbo period between the actual trial and the… “Punishment”... it’s best to make sure everybody knows exactly what happened, and it’s your job to make sure of that!

Closing Statement!!!

Mugman cleared his mind. Everything this past day had entailed had led to this. It felt as though their very lives were at stake. He took a deep breath, and began the explanation.

“Well then, allow me to explain!

To fully understand our case, we must first go back a few days. To our second day here, when Monokuma called for a meeting. During this meeting, The Killer expressed their desire to leave. Monokuma took advantage of this, giving them a gift box containing something . We don’t know what this something is, but we know it was devastating enough to leave them out of commission for a day. During that day, Yor gathered a group of people to help hide all the weapons. Only one weapon was kept out, which was a screwdriver for Tails. The next day, The Killer would ask Tails to borrow that same screwdriver. That night, they unscrewed one of the washing machine’s pipes, lured Cuphead out, and smashed his head into thousands of pieces. The Killer then put the pipe back in place, hid the screwdriver, and fell asleep to meet with us in the morning.

And that’s how The Killer, better known as Goh, The Ultimate Completionist killed Cuphead!”

Complete!!! (Again?? I Guess????)

“Monokuma, we’re ready to vote.” Todd said.

“Oh Gee Oh Joy!” Monokuma beamed, standing up on his too large throne. “I just have to go beep boop bop, and…!!”

Small monitors ascended in front of everyone, displaying everyone’s faces. Mugman tapped on Goh’s, pressed confirm, and his monitor went back down.

Suddenly, a four sided slot machine rose from the center. On each side, the slots rolled across the same images of everyone’s head. The slots slowed, eventually stopping on Goh’s face. The machine dinged and spewed coins across the whole trial grounds.

“Ding Ding Ding!!!” Monokuma sang. “You Did It!”

“I-I…” Goh stammered.

“Goh…” Mugman stopped, thoughts rushing through his head like a speeding train. “Why?”

“I-I j-just…!”

“Oh would you quit bein’ so shaky!?” Monokuma shouted. “You killed a man!”

“Well then, if that’s that, can we go now?” Volo asked.

“At least pretend you care!” Jones argued. “We have no idea how Goh must feel right now!”

“Why should we care!?” Wario argued back. “He didn’t care when he split the boy’s head open!”

“Even so, we still have the punishment!” Monokuma cheered. “Now then, I have prepared a very special punishment, just for you, Goh!”

“W-Wait!” Lana pleaded, hurrying off her stand.

Goh crouched down, hiding his head in his knees. None of the sounds from the world around him seemed to pierce his guard.

“It’s Punishment Time!!!”

A small metal cuff dropped from the ceiling, dangling by its chain. Right as Lana reached Goh, the cuff snapped around his neck and shot him straight through the ceiling. Stage lights began to shine on the boy, as he awoke in the center of a fighting ring.

Goh in

 The Battle For The Champion!!!

Lights engulfed the whole stadium, revealing an audience of Monokumas and a large screen. On the upper left side of the screen was Goh’s face over a blue background, and on the lower right was Monokuma’s. A bell rang, and four Monokumas in costumes jumped into the ring. An orange dragon, a purple ghost, a white bird with a sword, and a blue and black fox all began attacking Goh. The four continued striking Goh, blood dripping and bones shattering. After 10 minutes of brutal blows, his body had been disfigured beyond recognition, but he was still breathing, so the Monokuma still struck. One of the attacks forced one of Goh’s many cracked and broken bones straight through his shoulder. Desperation took over, as Goh grabbed the bone and fought back. Holding the blunt side of the bone, he forced the sharp side straight through the blue and black fox’s chest, and moved to slash the dragon’s head clean off its body. He coughed up blood, but continued his counter attack, kicking the ghost into one of the ring’s borders, and pinning him there with his bone. The bird charged forward, but Goh wrestled it to the ground, punched through his own chest, ripped out one of his ribs, and stabbed it through the bird’s head. Goh fell to his knees, blood spilling from every pore. The screen dinged as the audience cheered, and the next challenger approached. A young boy in a white shirt, blue jacket, and red hat entered the ring, grabbed the sharpened bone from the ghost’s body, and approached Goh. The boy stabbed Goh, the bone pierceing straight through his throat. Blood fauceted out his neck, but as he looked up at his killer, he couldn’t help but smile.

“Bravo, Bravo!!” Monokuma cheered. “We gotta do this more often, huh?”

Emotions ran rampant through the trial grounds, though Monokuma excluded, they were all of despair.

“G-Goh…” Lana said, choking through tears.

“Let’s go.” Cia commanded, gently grabbing Lana’s hand.

The 15 remaining people stepped into the elevator, and began rising back to their prison. After what felt like hours, the elevator stopped, allowing everyone to step back into the office.

“I think… we should have a discussion.” Jones said, taking a seat in the kitchen.

Mugman peered at everyone going to sit down, and noticed Cuphead’s body was gone. All remnants of his very existence - wiped away like that.

Everyone looked at them, but they turned, and went to Mugman’s room. Unable to muster the strength, Mugman’s door stayed wide open. He went into the bathroom and glanced at the mirror. 

His eyes were bloodshot, his straw was sagging, but most notable of all was Cuphead, standing behind him. His head was cracked all throughout. Just one tap was all it needed to shatter.

“C’mon Mugsy, I told you, it was all just a prank!” 

He tapped Mugman’s shoulder, causing him to swiftly turn around, but no one was there.

They left the bathroom, struggled to pull the blanket far enough to allow him entrance to his bed, ripped them off in frustration, and passed out as the clock struck two.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Gift From the Gods

Beep Beep Beep! Beep Beep Beep! Beep Beep Bee-!

Mugman rolled over his sheets, slapping his alarm clock. He shut his eyes a little longer, before forcing himself out of bed, ready to start the day.

He looked back at his bunk bed, Cuphead’s bunk still perfectly empty. It was strange how though

Chapter 3: Gift From the Gods

Beep Beep Beep! Beep Beep Beep! Beep Beep Bee-!

Mugman rolled over his sheets, slapping his alarm clock. He shut his eyes a little longer, before forcing himself out of bed, ready to start the day.

He looked back at his bunk bed, Cuphead’s bunk still perfectly empty. It was strange how though he had lost his beloved older brother, everything felt perfectly normal. It was like one day he was here, and the next he never existed.

“Good morning, Elder Kettle!” Mugman waved, sliding down the stairs with just a glove on the beige railing. “I’m heading out now!”

“Are you sure you don’t need any breakfast?” Kettle asked.

“I’ll pick something up on the way!” Mugman said, slipping out the door.

The sun was shining so bright, it seemed to bounce happily, glowing Mugman’s path of colorful flowers. Alone. The bustling town sang their joys at Mugman. Alone. No matter what he did, where he went, he felt both alone and occupied at the same time. 

He entered Chalice’s bakery with a bright smile on his face.

“Good morning!” He said.

“Why, what brings you here today?” The golden girl Ms. Chalice asked. “Mournin’ got you hungry again?”

“You know it!” Mugman said. “I’m very happy, though!”

“Not surprised in the slightest!” Chalice said. “Y’know, I hope you know that between the two ‘a you, you deserved to live.”

“Of course! I always worried about his future, but I guess I won’t have to anymore!”

The two shared a laugh.

“Oh you just crack me up, not as much as Cuphead’s face though!” Chalice continued. “Seriously though, y’gotta wake up!”

“W-What?”

“I mean, you’re so delusional you're imagining that you’re back in the Inkwell Isles!” Chalice said. “Wake Up, Mugsy!”

Mugman backed away, short, sporadic breaths barraging their way through his lips.

“C’mon, Mugman, wake up! We don’t got all day!”

Mugman slid his heel 180, running out of Ms. Chalice’s bakery. Eyes throughout the Isles centered on him. He kept running, before bumping into the last person he’d want to see.

“Hey, Mugman.” The tall, fuzzy black figure of The Devil snarled, leaning against a wall. “Y’know, you told everyone that Cuphead’s dead, but I think otherwise.”

“G-Gah, The Devil!” Mugman Exclaimed. “What’re you doing here!?”

“I’m doin’ what’s right.” The Devil laughed.  “Lookin’ after you in this time of need, but more importantly…

Makin’ sure you

“...Wake up?” Tails asked, the first half of his question being cut off by Mugman’s Dream Departure ™

Day 5 - Friday

1 Day Since Last Incident

“What’re you guys…” Mugman adjusted his eyes to the blinding lights of his room, seeing everyone gathered around his bed. He pushed the heavy blankets forward, allowing his tucked in body to sit up.

“Mugman!!” Todd exclaimed, running over to wrap his arms around him. “We were so worried!”

“Finally awake, hm?” Volo asked. “You were out for quite a while.”

“Wh-h-how long?” Mugman asked.

“You were out for 20 hours!” Matpat exclaimed. “Not nearly close to the record, but still impressive!”

“I… I slept that long?” He said, a hint of guilt slipping into his mind. 

“It’s okay, you needed it!” Donut said.

“Here’s the Sitch.” Jones said, standing at the center of the rectangular desk made of cafeteria tables. “Monokuma explained that after each trial, another floor will unlock, all the way up to the 4th floor.”

“Apparently, some of the floors cost like… a lot of money to put together, so he really wants us spending time up there.” Ryuji explained. 

“We haven’t gone up yet, though!” Stan said. “Now we’re just waiting on Lana!”

“W-Wait, Lana’s not up?” Mugman asked. “But she’s always up super early!”

“I think she’s…” Yor thought for a moment.

“The Girl’s Depressed!” Wario shouted. 

“Wario, you dick!” Ryuji said. “That’s not what Yor was gonna say!”

“N-No, that’s pretty much what I was trying to say.” Yor said.

“Well then shouldn’t we… y’know, wake her up?” Todd asked.

“I say let her rest.” Donut explained. “She needs all the rest she can get right now.”

“If she get’s to sleep in, then I do too.” Cia said, dropping her leaning chair to the ground before getting up to leave the cafeteria. “See ya, rats.”

“Can we go now?” Patrick pleaded, giving the least effective puppy dog eyes straight to Volo.

“Yes, let's.” He said. “C’mon now, guys and, well, girl.”

The 13 talked as they ventured up the hollow stone stairs. Mugman had grown tired by the time he hit the halfway mark, even when the steps weren’t high, nor was the destination far. When he finally reached the second floor, he saw that he wasn’t alone in his exhaustion.

“WE’RE DOOOOONE!” Marx cried. “I’d like to think my mom, my dad-wait why would I wanna do that!?”

“C’mon, that wasn’t even that bad!” Ryuji said. “Oh, maybe I’m secretly a god! Bow before me-”

“Hey Tails, could I commission you to build a treadmill staircase?” Stan asked. “Free of charge, of course.”

“Oh, an escalator?” He said. “I mean, I could try , but in a place like this, I doubt there’d be close to enough parts.”

Upon reaching the top of the stairs, they were met with a wall, but turning, Mugman finally layed his eyes on the new floor. It was darker than the last, with red and black floor tiles and grey and black striped wallpaper. At the back was another staircase blocked by the same mall shutter. To the right was a heavy wooden door, and a bit down the wall from it was a metal blast door with a sign that said Gamers X-ing. The final bit to note was the frosty glass door to the left, the frost dulling the bright white lights coming from inside.

“Whatever! I wanna check out that room!” Wario exclaimed, pointing at the frost door to the left.

“Suit yourself!” Ryuji said. “I’m goin’ over there! C’mon, Tails!”

Ryuji grabbed the fox by one of his 4 2 tails and dragged him to the blast door, tapped a button that opened it, and went inside.

After about 5 minutes, everyone but Mugman, Todd, and Yor had ventured to one of the three rooms.

“Such a big choice!” Todd said enamoured by the three, count ‘em, three doors. “Which to choose first?”

“How about the one to the right?” Yor asked. “And then we can go clock-wise to the blast door next!”

“You mean counter-clock-wise?” Mugman asked.

“Y-Yes!” Yor said, growing flustered. “T-That’s what I meant!”

Pushing against the heavy wooden door, the gang realized it was a pull door. Now pulling against the heavy wooden door revealed a small, but cozy library. With a dark blue carpet and striped wallpaper alternating between a lighter and darker shade of blue, it emanated the cozyness of a real library.

“Oh, Hi guys!!” Donut caled, sitting by the one-seater couch. “Come on over!”

“Find any good books?” Todd asked.

“I found a book detailing the history of many different nations before the great war of connection.” Volo said, holding up the history book.

“So is that a yes…?” 

“Indeed, it is.”

Mugman scrolled through the backmost bookshelf, before eventually stopping.

“Aha!” He exclaimed. “They have it!”

“What is it?” Yor asked.

“It’s an old book I read years ago! I never finished it, cause I got spoiled on the ending, but now's finally my chance!”

“Oh, that book!?” Matpat said. “I love that one, especially its underlying narrative about freedom!”

“I uh… I just like the battles.” Mugman said, sliding it off the shelf.

“I wonder if they have…” Yor thought out loud, skimming through the books.

“Well, I don’t wanna get too locked up here and miss the other rooms!” Mugman said. “How do I check this out?”

“There’s no need.” Volo explained. “It’s not like Monokuma is gonna hire a librarian.”

“Then I guess we’re off!” Todd said.

“Oh! One more thing!” Donut said. “This room has a lock, but for some reason it’s on the outside of the door.”

“Well, I doubt it’ll be that big of a deal.” Mugman said. “As long as nobody-”

Click!

“...Locks it.”

“Oh No! Are we stuck in here!?” Yor exclaimed.

“Hey, could you guys please open the door?” Todd asked, gently knocking on the door.

“Listen to this guy!” Marx laughed through the door. “These Nerds think we’ll let ‘em out just like that!”

“Well, guess you’re stuck here with us.” Volo said. “Better settle down.”

Mugman grabbed his book and sat below a large vent to the left wall.

“Guess we’ll have to bunker down until-”

Click!

“Sorry about that!” Tails said, pulling the door open. “I told Marx about the lock, and he instantly ran off.”

“Where is he now?” Yor asked, a fake smile plastered across her face.

“Uh, I think he’s in the game room over-!”

Before he could even finish, Yor zoomed down the hall, running so fast Tails was left spinning. The remaining three followed suit, running straight to the large blast door.

Pressing the green button to the right of the door, it shot open revealing an… interesting sight.

“You can’t catch me!” Marx said, bouncing around in front of Yor.

“I don’t need to catch you, just to grab you.” Yor said, kicking as fast as Marx was bouncing.

The two kept at it as Mugman analyzed the bright room. With a lime carpet and pink walls with dark blue polka dots, the game room was certainly headache inducing. To the right was a small bubble couch with an old CRT on the parallel tv stand. Just past the fighting fellows was a couch that looked like a grizzly bear, with a huge flatscreen tv in front of it, along with a shelf of games and consoles. With just the tip of his finger, Mugman pushed the two aside and hurdled onto the bear.

“This… Is nice.” Mugman said, closing his eyes in an attempt to hide the room’s horrid colors, though he felt they were bleeding through his eyelids.

“Hey, you two wanna go!?” Ryuji asked, holding up a copy of each and every Smash Bros. game. 

“Yes! I’m amazing at that game!” Tails said, sliding onto the bear couch.

“I’ve had to deal with Cuphead, so you guys are going down!” Mugman said.

“Oh yeah? We’ll see about that!” Ryuji said, putting the first four games back on the shelf, ultimately picking the newest one.

“I’ve uh, never played before.” Todd said. “Is that okay?”

“Of course…” Ryuji grinned, dragging out his words. “We’ll go easy on you.”

“Wow, thanks!”

The game started up, the four went from smash, to versus, back to the smash menu, then to classic, then the home screen, someone closed the game, so it starts back up and Hey! This isn’t smash bros! This is PuyoPuyo Tetris!

“Okay, how about I navigate us?” Mugman asked.

The other three nodded, and before they knew it, were selecting their characters.

Ryuji picked Joker, Tails picked Sonic, Mugman picked Pit, and Todd picked Ridley, because he thought he was cool.

“Give it up!” Marx shouted. “I’m not even tired! At this point, I’m just bored!”

Yor dropped her foot, allowing it to touch the ground for the first time in 20 minutes.

“Maybe… you’re right.” She sighed, collapsing to the ground. “Hey Todd, Mugman, think we should go… check out the… the…”

“How the hell’dya you do that!?” Ryuji shouted, shaking Todd. “You gotta be cheating!”

“I didn’t think I did that good!” Todd exclaimed.

“Dude, you three stocked all of us!” Tails added.

“So… did I do good?” 

“YES!!!!” Both Ryuji and Tails shouted in perfect harmony.

“Maybe we should give them time to cool off.” Mugman suggested, pushing the green button to the left of the blast door to open it once more.

“Ooh, wait, lemme come!” Marx said. “I have an inkling as to what the final room is, and I really wanna see it.”

“But what about Yor!?” Todd asked. “She’s gonna kick your ass! Tenfold!”

“Why would I do that?” Yor asked, quickly rising from the ground and following the rest outside. “We’re friends now!”

“That’s all you gotta do to get closer to someone? Guess I gotta try fighting Cia… ” Mugman muttered.

“Hm?” Marx said.

“N-Nothing!” He said, hiding his ever red turning porcelain. “A-Anyways, I didn’t know you could move like that, Yor!”

“O-Oh, well, I uh… used to be an, um, a-athlete s-so…!”

“Really living up to your ultimate talent !” Todd laughed. “Y’know, the assassin one! What a joke!”

“Y-Yeah! The joke one! Hahaha!” 

“Hey Kids!” Stan said, popping out of the frosted glass, lacking a shirt. “You gotta see this place!”

The four followed the Shirtless Stan coming to pc on April 20th into the bright room, and inside saw a large, blinding pool.

The whole room was covered in white tiles, with a huge light at the top making each tile look as though they were glowing. Windows covered the left wall, but it was clear behind them were just more bright lights. The pool itself was in an upside down L shape, starting with stairs and leading all the way to a 10 foot section by the back of the room. In the spot without any pool to the left of the pool, there was a hot tub! And at the back, a sauna! How this both worked space wise and didn’t shatter the bottom floor is not in my paygrade. Maybe Monokuma asked for help from an old friend, Wink Wink Nudge Nudge?

“Yes!!! I knew it!!!” Marx exclaimed, shaking like a sopping wet dog to throw his hat to the side. “Jerry-onimo!”

“Oh, hey guys!” Jones called from the deep end. “Over there’s a locker room! Monokuma’s already got us bathing suits, too!”

“Kinda weird, but I don’t know what I expected.” Mugman said, walking to the right door Jones had pointed to.

Inside the men’s section were 5 bathroom stalls at the back of the room, allowing for safe changing, along with lockers for everyone. Both Cuphead and Goh’s had large red X’s on them, but it didn’t sway Mugman’s mind.

“W-What!?” Todd exclaimed. “This covers nothing!” He added, before pulling out a small party hat.

“I think you might not have one cause…” Mugman stammered, pointing to his scandalous orb like body. “You uh… don’t wear clothes.”

“Yeah, but my leaf is-!” A sudden realization burst through Todd’s head. “My leaf!”

He dropped the party hat on one of his leaves, and wrapped the string around his body.

“All good!” Todd said. “See you in the deep end!”

“Grah! Why’s that slowpoke takin’ so long!?” Wario exclaimed. 

“Since when have you cared about Mugsy?” Marx asked, resting gently on the surface of the water. “Actually, since when have you cared for anyone, lmao.”

“I’m not heartless, y’know!” 

“Aren’t you a CEO?” Jones asked. “I feel like those two things kinda go hand in hand.”

“I’m not a CEO, I just own a company and am very rich!” Wario argued. “Get it right!”

“Hey guys!” Mugman called, finally emerging from the locker room. “It took me way too long to realize my bathing suit was just my undershirt and pants.”

“That sounds rather inconvenient.” Jones said. “And there weren’t any extras?”

“Well there was a storage closet to the left of the stalls…” Mugman said. “Eh, it’s not that big of a deal.”

“Awesome! Now, come join my Awesome Pirate Legion!” Marx roared. “Y-You are gonna put your suit on, right?”

“Nah, too tired right now.” Mugman said, collapsing on a bench by the locker room. “Oh! Maybe we could all have a pool party!”

“Hm, could be a good chance to swindle some suckers…” Wario thought to himself. “I’ll handle all the preparations, so don’t you worry your little cup about it!”

“Y’know I’ve been wondering for a while now… but what is that?” Marx asked, signalling to a pink blob at the very bottom of the 10 foot section.

“That?” Jones asked. “That’s just-!”

An almost angelic voice cut off Jones, echoing through the pool room.

“I am a warrior of the ocean, basking in its glory. The Sea’s Serenade guides me.” 

“It’s Patrick.” Todd said, hauling the starfish to the surface. “He was having another one of his smart moments again.”

“They aren’t Smart Moments !” Patrick said, making air quotes with his fingers. “That’s just when I let you speak to the real me!”

“So the real you is actually a genius warrior of the sea?” Mugman asked.

“Haha… yeah…” Patrick said, droning, and eventually drooling as he sunk back to the bottom of the pool.

Ding Dong!

“Ding Dong Ding Dong! It is now 10 PM! I know you guys are having so much fun on the second floor, but sleeping anywhere but your room is still prohibited! Have a splendiferous night!”

“Welp, time to go.” Wario said, quickly drying himself off, throwing on a quick pair of pants and shirt, and leaving.

“Nonono!” Yor cried, bursting out of the locker room, still in her full attire. “I didn’t even get to swim yet!”

Ring-a-Ding Ding! Ring-a-Ding-Click!

“Yellow, my lovely sponsor!” Monokuma picked up the phone, feet up on his spinning chair’s armrest.

Indiscriminate babbling squeeked through the dial phone, interrogating Monokuma on… something .

“Yes! The experiment is going wonderfully , though there are some… upsets.” Monokuma said, peering into Lana’s camera, watching as she and Cia talked further.

“...”

“Oh but Mugsy? He’s doin’ incredible! Whatever yer doing to my Monokuma Theatres, it’s got him happier than a pickle! It’s been less than a day, and any part of him that mourns is long gone!”

“...”

“Next target? Are y’kidding? I’m not rigging these games, y’doofus! Though, if you’d like to abuse some of them… Mugman, Todd and Yor were great last trial! Make sure they’re hindered come next trial!”

“...”

“Oh Come On! That’s not rigging!”

Knock Knock

“That’s all the time I have for now. Keep doing you!” Monokuma clicked the phone, and swirled the chair. “Come in, my lovely!”

“What is it?”

“I’ll just give it straight. You’ve failed to really do anything of note. You’re an afterthought. A throw away character. You are to sow the seeds of fear. Make people not trust each other. Make it so when someone kills another, they don’t apologize before taking the kill like that stupid twink!!”

“And you’ll keep them safe?”

“As long as you do as I say, my little puppet. Now go!” Monokuma said, waving towards the door. “Even just the sight of you gives me acid.”

Monokuma Theatre!!!

“After a bit of a delay, we’re back! So that new floor, hm? Imagine all the ways you could kill someone here! You could drown ‘em in the pool, burn them in the sauna, crush their head with a locker, and that’s just in the pool room! I can tell ya right now, this next kill is gonna be amazing! Way better than a stupid knife or something,you just wait and see!”

Day 6 - Saturday

2 Days Since Last Incident

Ding Dong!

“Good morning, friendos! It’s now 7 am, and that means it’s time to get outta bed! So like, what’re you doing? Go on, the page break is right below me!” Oooh I’m a secret message

“Mornin’.” Ryuji said.

“Good morning everyone!” Donut cheered from the kitchen. “I’m making breakfast this morning!”

“Awesome!” Tails asked. “Though, I don’t know how good food will be made with your feet…”

“Who said anything about using my feet?” Donut said, presenting his freshly made toast and sausages being held up by two wiggly arms.

“Woah! Nice, man!” Todd said, squiggling his arms. “We’re matching!”

“Why do you get arms!?” Marx squealed. “T-That’s not fair!”

“But, how did you get arms anyways?” Yor asked.

“Well, with the power of Continuity Errors, and writing this chapter in the middle of TPOTs release schedule, I was given my arms back!”

“...Excuse me?” Volo asked.

“God Damnit!” Marx whined. “I was supposed to have the first fourth wall break of the series!”

“Boys, Boys, let’s let the fourth wall rest, okay?” Stan suggested.

“Still though, that’s great!” Mugman said, taking a bite of sausage. “And the food is too!”

The busy voices of the dining room were quickly shushed when a flash of cyan entered the door, groggier than a drunken orc.

“G’mornin’...” Lana groaned, rubbing her eyes and collapsing into a nearby chair.

“Are you sure you should be out of bed right now?” Volo asked.

“Mm. I’ll be okay.” She said, grabbing a plate. “I just… I just needed a day of rest, is all. Sorry for worrying all of you.”

“Well… if all the important stuff is outta the way.” Marx smirked, pushing his plate to the side and glaring at Mugman. “You’re with me today!”

Biting his hand, Marx dragged the poor cup away from everyone else, never to be seen again (for like, 12 minutes.)

“Owwww…” Mugman groaned,.shaking his hand vigorously.

“Up And At ‘Em, Soldier!” Marx said. “We have an important mission today!”

“Does it involve breaking all of my bones?”

“No, that’s later. Anyways, during the trial-er-investigation, you shouted something about wishes that stuck out to me… what was it…”

“I think it was “I just wish I could see everything I needed”, right?”

“Damn, you got that?” Marx joked. “I thought the following black out woulda wiped that from your mind.”

“Y’know, it’s strange, but since that happened those words have been in and out of my mind.” Mugman said. “Kinda like some ethereal being out there wants to make sure I hear it.”

“I Got It!?” Marx snapped(????). “You’re a god!”

“H-Hold on! First off, what do you even want from me? Second… well, there was really just the first point… B-But still!!”

“Alright Alright, you got me. I think you’ve got some sorta power!”

“That’s absolutely-!”

“Shush now, time for practice!” Marx turned around, shuffling around a bit before turning back. “Say you wish you knew how many fingers I was holding up!”

“It’s zero.” Mugman sighed.

“That’s the intuition of a god right there!” 

Marx smirked, turned back around, and scurried through scraps of even more papers, throwing it back and bonking Mugman.

“What now?” Mugman asked impatiently.

“Hold on… Got it!” Marx smirked, still facing away from Mugman. “Wanna know your next test?”

“No, I really don’t.”

“Are you sure?”

“Pretty sure.”

“I won’t let you go unless you say “I wish I knew what my next test is.””

“Fine!” Mugman shouted. “I’ll say the stupid thing!”

He cleared his mind. Everything around felt as though it began to melt, the sound of his gentle beating heart echoing through the nothingness.

“I wish I knew what my next test is.”

As the words left his mouth, his eyes shot open. Marx was nothing but an outline of his former self. White stars glittered behind Marx, forming a barrier around… nothing.

Mugman blinked, and when his eyes opened once more, the room was back to normal.

“Soooo, how’d it goooo?” Marx asked, fluttering his eyelashes.

“Is my next test literally nothing?” He asked, both disappointed in Marx’s very existence, but also nervous about the potential truth of Marx’s theory.

Marx lit up,a joyous excitement painted across his face, which quickly morphed into a devious grin.

“You know what this means, right?”

“N-No?”

Marx grabbed Mugsy’s shoulder with a purple claw sprouted from his left side entirely for this bit.

“You’re a god , Mugman.” Marx said. “D O G, God-wait that’s not right.”

“H-Hold on, how do we know I wasn’t j-just hallucinating or something!?” He exclaimed, desperate to prove the pink thing wrong.

“Alright then. Wish to know how to get outta here.”

Mugman said the phrase, opened his eyes, and once again saw the wasteland of muted greys. Outlines of every person still standing being seen throughout the building, and deep below, the ones who weren’t. This time though, Mugman took some time to admire the sight. Walls clashed, as if they had been built inside each other. The pool stretched down, with a foot of water peeking through the kitchen ceiling. 

Beyond the second floor was, well, the third floor, and Mugman was able to get a sneak peek of it, seeing an incinerator and garden, before the white stars from before sparkled in front of him, pointing to the locked door.

“What’d it say?” Marx asked.

“It pointed to the front door in the dingy hallway.” Mugman said. “The one locked with thick metal bars.”

“Well, it’s not wrong, is it?”

“Still though… I can’t believe you were right about something…”

“I know, it’s insa-Hey Wait A Minute!” 

Ding Dong!

“Hello, friends! Pardon the sudden intrusion, but if you could make your way to the kitchen, that would be most lovely! And no, this is not a request. Do it or I’ll tie you up and throw you on a train track, western style!”

Just as fast as the tv had flicked on, Monokuma was gone once more.

“Perfect timing!” Mugman said. “Now I can finally leave.”

“I was gonna let you leave anyways!” Marx whined. 

“We all here?” Ryuji asked.

“All but one.” Volo said.

“Do you think he’s running late?” Yor said.

“Doubt it.” Mugman said. “Judging by what we’ve seen of him, he’s waiting to-!”

“BOOYAH!!”

From the lights above, Monokuma came crashing down onto the counter.

“...Make a dramatic entrance.”

“What’dya want!?” Stan shouted.

“Woah Woah, where’s all this hostility coming from? I was just here to announce your first motive!”

“Our… motive?” Tails asked.

“Your motive.” Monokuma grinned.

“Our motive??” Matpat added.

“Your Motive!!”

“Our Motive!?” Jones exclaimed.

“YES!! YOU’RE MOTIVE!!” Monokuma shouted.

“Ha! He used the wrong Your!” Marx laughed.

“I-I’m wrong!?” Yor exclaimed.

“Oh My God!!!” Monokuma groaned. “Let me tell you the motive, Puh-Lease!”

“Uh, sure.” Lana said, uneasy.

“If one of you happens to kill someone, you will be granted…” Monokuma attempted to make drum roll sounds with his mouth, spitting everywhere in the process. “One Wish.”

The room went… okay well it was already quiet. Honestly, they weren’t impressed.

“A wish?” Marx asked. “Why would I want one-a those? I could always just ask my good pal for one!!”

“Eh, I don’t want anything that money can’t buy.” Wario said. “T-Though, maybe-!”

“Think of it this way!” Monokuma continued. “Wario, you could wish for as much money as you could ever want! And Marx… uh, you uh, could… get a wish?”

“If I wanted more money, I’d go to the foreign currency exchange.” Wario grumbled, stomping out.

“I don’t think that’s how…” Lana said.

“Please, Lana. Don’t try to teach brutes like him.” Cia said. “It isn’t worth your time.”

“ UGH , are you done?” Monokuma groaned, tapping his foot on the counter. “Go to bed!”

“But, we haven’t even had dinner yet!” Donut said.

“Don’t care/negative/IHateYou / Changing the font mid insult LMAOOOOOO! ”

Monokuma Theatre!!!

“You guys ever have that one guy in your life who’s just, soooo annoying? I used to know this person, and they were the biggest control freak! After Ghoulfest, I lived with her for around a year, and if you think I’m bad, this authoritarian dictator controlled every aspect of my life! Y’know, originally I was gonna host a killing game like… a year or two ago, but this stupid fox locked me down! I wasn’t even allowed out of the kitchen for three months for even suggesting it! But hey, in the end, made the revenge that much sweeter.”

Ding Dong!

“You know the time, and that time is morning! Time to start another wondrous day!”

Before he could even gather his thoughts strewn across his bed, a hurried knock rattled against Mugman’s door, followed by a crumpled paper being stuffed through his door. He nudged himself to the foot of his bed, rolled the paper to him with his foot, and picked up.

You. Me. Tails. Gaming room. We’re getting revenge. Marcks Marx offered to teach us.

“Good Morning, Mugman!” Lana called. “Want any Coffee?”

“Sure!” The mug said.

“You got the money for it?” Lana asked, a smug grin plastered on her face.

“Oh, Uh, I…”

“I’m just kidding!” She giggled, turning her back to the coffee machine. “Not like we have any money to begin with.”

“If you’re working on the coffee, then allow me to make the rest of the breakfast!” Mugman said. “It’s the least I could-!”

“Breakfast is served!” Matpat announced, rounding the dormitory hallway and placing a plate of sausages on the table.

“Wh-Huh???????” Mugman… said? “Where’d you come from??”

“Laundry room!” He said. “Oh, right, you went straight to bed after last night's “Meeting”.”

“W-Well, he told us to go to bed, so…”

“You seriously listened to that?” Volo asked, stepping in. “What, is Monokuma brainwashing you or something?”

“Oh right, I totally forgot! Sorry Mugman!” Lana said. “Monokuma forgot to pay the gas bill, so we’re stuck without a stove for a bit.”

“Hence Laundry Wieners!” Matpat said.

“Please don’t call them that.” Volo said, snatching a Laundry Wiener.

“Hold on, if we don’t have gas, then wouldn’t that affect like, everything?” Mugman asked. “Including the laundry machines?”

“Stop. Questioning. It.” Volo demanded. “You don’t want to end up like Jones.”

“W-What happened to Jones???” Mugman asked.

“It’s just too brutal!” Lana cried, the back of her hand pressed against her forehead. 

“Honestly, I’d be surprised if he ever walked again!” Matpat said. “Battering Rams to the butt hurt, y’know!”

“What!?”

Among the conflict, Mugman spotted a certain blond haired boy staring right at him. He thought back to the note that had slipped through his door, and knew it was time.

“Dude, we’ve been waiting for like, 30 minutes!” Ryuji exclaimed, the two now walking up the stairs. “Surely Mat’s Laundry Wieners weren’t that good, right!?”

“I didn’t know you meant right now.” Mugman said. “Sorry.”

“Forget it, we gotta focus on revenge.”

The two reached the top and entered the vomit of bright colors Ft. Bear Couch once more.

“Good, you’re here!” Tails said. 

“Marx still isn’t here!?” Ryuji said. “Didn’t he go to get a book from the library!?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about!”

In the back left corner, that bastard’s voice arose from a large metal vent, jutting out ever so slightly from the wall.

“I-Is that…?” Tails said.

“Aha! You’re correct! It is I!!!” Marx announced, a quiet thud coming from the vent, just before a few screws got pushed out, and then he burst out of the vent. “I found this nifty shortcut between the library and gaming room! Cool, right?”

“Y’see, I knew something was fishy the second you told me Marx went to the library.” Mugman said.

“So were you just crawling around like a mouse while you waited for us to like, all be here?” Ryuji asked.

“Pretty much, yeah. There’s another pathway up, and there was a door, but it was locked :(“

“Whatever, let’s just start!” Tails said. “We can’t let Todd beat us again!”

Marx walked in front of the tv, turning to face his pupils. 

“Listen up! We are in War!” He said, any attempt to hide his squeeky voice proved fruitless. “Last time, you three were slaughtered like pigs, by a newbie no less! This must not happen again, and to ensure that, I will be your teacher-no, your sergeant!”

“Sir Yes Sir!” Tails hopped up, saluting Marx.

“ Please don’t inflate his ego any more than it already is.” Mugman said.

“Here’s what’s gonna happen! You three will all play against me, 3v1! Your practice is done when you beat me with three or less knockouts; that’s one death per!”

Marx booted up the game, hopped on top of the bear couch, and began whooping the three student’s asses. Like, it wasn’t even close. Mugman knew he had a long day ahead of him.

HOUR 1

“You aren’t confident enough!” Marx barked. ‘Work harder or you’ll dishonor your family, damnit!”

“Whatever, just get back to it!” Ryuji demanded.

HOUR 3

“You’ve gotten consistent on your recoveries, but get ledge guarded way too easily!!” Marx continued. “It’s comedic how easy it is to keep your asses off stage!”

“W-What do you want us to do!?” Tails said.

“Be unpredictable!! Mix up your moves so you can land safely!”

HOUR 4 ½

“Alright, we’re taking a 30 minute break! Meet back here at 1 PM, Got it?” Marx commanded.

The freedom of the second floor’s air was immaculate. The fresh, white walls finally gave Mugman a chance to rest his eyes. He decided to take advantage of his break by getting some lunch.

He grabbed a meatball microwave dinner, and slid it in the microwave, which still worked for some reason?? Monokuma must not know how gas works.

“Hey, Kid!” Stan called, sitting on one of the bar stools resting parallel to the kitchen counter. “Mind gettin’ me a drink?”

“Sure, what'd ya want?” Mugman asked, taking the small tray out of the microwave, mixing it a bit, and throwing it back in.

“Get me a cola!” Stan said. “We have restocked, right?”

Mugman grabbed a cola, tossed it to Stan, took his lunch, and sat down.

“Where’ve you been all day, anyways?” Stan asked, cracking open the cold one. “The girl’s been lookin’ for you.”

“That… does not tell me as much as you think.” Mugman said.

“Blue haired one, what’s her face…?” Stan thought for a moment.

“Lana? I saw her this morning, so I don’t know what…” Mugman continued. “A-And are you okay?! y’sound drunk!”

“Llama, that’s it! Say, Mugsy, I got a question for ya.”

“Hit me. N-Not literally, though!”

Suddenly, all of Stan’s whimsy abandoned him, his face shifting.

“What would you do if something terrible happened to your friends, and the only way to help was to shatter a group of strangers?”

Though he attempted to stay calm, and reassure Stan, a cold sweat broke across Mugman’s whole body.

“W-What kind of terrible thing?” He asked.

“Nevermind. I never should have got you involved.” Stan got up, leaving his cola on the counter. “Sorry for wasting your time.”

“W-Wait, Stan!” Mugman called. “You can trust me! I won’t tell anyone, I promise!”

Stan looked back as he treaded out the door. When he did, Mugman noticed previously unknown deep bags under Stan’s eyes. Any further attempts to prod Stan for information were fruitless, but someone quickly took his place.

“Is everything okay?” Lana asked, stepping into the kitchen.

“No idea.” Mugman said. “I’ve no clue how to make a 40 year old man feel better…”

“Well, why don’t we talk about it together?” Lana asked, sitting down next to Mugman. “What kinda thing was he asking about?”

“It sounded like his close friends were kidnapped, but… There’s just so much that doesn’t make sense! If it’s one of Monokuma’s new motives, wouldn't the rest of us hear about it, a-and what’s gonna happen if he doesn’t? A-And-!”

“Maybe, you’re looking too deep into it. It may be totally unrelated to the killing game, so instead of begging him to tell you, why not show him you’re there for him. Enough to where he’s sure he can trust you, and you’re sure you can trust him.” Lana explained. “Or not, but no harm in trying!!”

“I… Thank you, Lana.” Mugman got up, tossed the trash from his lunch and walked towards the door. “I’ve got somewhere to be. See ya later.”

“Bye!” She waved. “W-Wait I still have something to-Gah! He’s gone…”

“Welcome back, everyone.” Marx said, shutting the blast door. “We have two hours until Todd gets here. We must make sure you all possess the strength to completely and udderly destroy him.”

“Of course!” Ryuji said. “Not only did he beat us, he made a fool of us!”

“I-I don’t think we need to destroy him, though.” Tails spoke up.

“So It’s Okay To Show Weakness!? WRONG!!!!” Marx shouted. “Rise, Miles! RISE!! Let me hear your battle cry!!!”

“R-Rah!” The fox roared.

“Louder!”

“GRAHHH!!”

“EVEN LOUDER!!” Marx commanded. “SCREAM SO LOUD, HEAVEN IS SCARED OF YOU!!”

Unaware of his own limits, Tails screeched like a 5 year old who dropped his ice cream. He quickly realized his mistake and slapped his hand over his mouth.

“Let’s uh… just get on with it.” Ryuji said.

“C’mon guys! This is the final stretch!” Mugman spoke, raising the morale of all his teammates. “Us four; there’s no chance we lose! Todd doesn’t stand a chance!”

HOUR 6

TIME FOR WAR.

Bvrrm

Holding a small note in his hand, Todd stepped into the gaming room. Todd shielded his eyes from the bright white light, though the ceiling lights were dimmed. Instead, the TV was glowing with a light sourced straight from fury.

“Welcome in, Todd.” Marx said, attempting to hide his voice by deepening it. Big emphasis on attempting, though. “Take a seat and prepare.”

“Uh, prepare for what, exactly?” He asked, sitting in the center of the bear couch.

The room was silent, though Todd couldn’t help but feel it was deafening. The ever growing tension came to a climax when Marx’s words sparked a flame.

“ Retribution .”

With his words, the lights all flicked on, and the three pupils rose from their hiding spots. Ryuji from the large vent, Tails from behind the movie shelf just to the right of the TV, and Mugman from underneath the beanbag (That one isn’t foreshadowing though.)

“Are you ready, Todd?” Marx asked, as each adversary took their seat, Ryuji and Tails sandwhiching Todd, and Mugman on the very same beanbag.

“F-For what, exactly?” He asked.

“We’re gettin’ our revenge, got it!” Ryuji said, handing Todd a controller. 

“Yeah! This time, you won’t beat us!” Tails added.

“Sorry, bro. I didn’t want it to come to this…” Mugman said, loading up Smash Bros. once more. "But you’ve come too far.”

“W-What’d I even do!?” The turnip exclaimed.

“That doesn’t matter now, my little veggie~!” Marx said. “All that matters now is that my students are gonna kick your ass!”

The group minus Todd agreed on the rules. Best of three, but with four people(?), omega stage format, no items, three stocks, you know the deal. Ryuji went Bowser, Tails went Meta Knight, Mugman went Mario, and Todd went Pichu, just cause he thought he was a little silly.

Game 1 went off without a hitch, and by that I mean it went terribly. Even though they were on the same team, it was still free for all, so there’d be the occasional stray hit, and by occasional I mean every 5 seconds. One minute into the match, and everyone was left on one stock, except for Todd, of course, who had two. A Marxsterious apparition grabbed Todd’s controller, allowing Ryuji to bag the first game.

1-0

With no time to rest, the four got straight into game two. I think Ryuji SD’d the second the game started, but I was checking my phone so I missed it. Todd realized he could just run away and let everyone else beat each other up, so that’s what he did. Three and a half minutes later, Todd was declared the winner.

1-1

Final game.

The four began smashing playing without note, until there were two left. Both Todd and Mugman were on their last stock, at zero percent. Mugman maneuvered around Todd, letting him damage himself, building percent, though Todd got a clean hit off. Mugman recovered quickly, responding with a smash attack, but Todd was able to shoot straight back onto the stage, though Mugman was able to grab him, throw him off stage, and slam him down with a forward aerial.

2-1

“WOOOO!” Tails cheered as the results came up.

“That’s what you get!” Ryuji taunted. “How’s it feel to be completely and utterly Owned !?”

“Hm… It was pretty fun!” Todd said, getting up and heading towards the door. “I’d love to play again some time!”

The pupils and their teacher sat in astonishment. All of that training, and it was fun. He wants to do it again some time. What was even the point? Video games aren’t supposed to be fun !

Whatever. Next Day.

Monokuma Theatre!!!! (I’m feelin’ generous you get an extra exclamation mark.) !

“Y’know, I don’t think I’ve ever gotten scared, much less when playing a horror game. Like, it’s really cute when they try to be scary, but when it comes to actual fear? Nothin’. They’re either cheap jumpscares, or just boring gameplay, it sucks! Especially indie horror games! Hey, if you’re an indie dev, I’ve got a message for you. Give up, I hate you, and your game probably sucks. Eat a lemon, nerd.”

Day 7 - Sunday

3 Days Since Last Incident

Ding Dong!

“Oh boys, it’s time to get up! Today marks your first week here! Can’t believe times passed so fast!”

“Good morning, Mugman!” Lana said. “Say, do you have a minute some time today?”

Mugman blinked, clearing his eyes filled with sleepy tears, and sat just across from Donut.

“Uh, yeah, sure.” He said. “Not like people really plan things in a place like this.”

“Well, make sure to stay safe, okay?” Donut said.

“Oh please, like Lana could hurt anyone.” Mugman said.

“Hey, Mugsy!” Marx said, bouncing into the kitchen. “We gotta hit Stan today!”

“Hit Stan-W-What??” Mugman asked.

“Y’know, with the whipped cream!” Marx said. “It’s been so long since we got our last hit, I’m practically dying with excitement for our next!”

“It’s 7 in the morning and you’re already planning tomfoolery? Jones asked, taking a seat on one of the stools. “Can’t you wait a few hours?”

“Humour waits for no one, not even God!” Marx explained, pulling out the same tin dish they used against Cia, filled it up with the second serving of cream, and placed it on the counter just out of sight from the dining room. “Hey, someone go get Stan!”

“Got it!” Todd said, jumping into the air and coming down limbless, just a ball perfect for rolling at top speeds (This is normal (Trust Me)). “Be right back!!”

“Just so you know…” Cia said, a hint of threat in her voice. “You ever pull something like you did with that stupid cream again, and I will slaughter you. Got it?”

“Sure thing, Old Lady!” Marx snickered.

“O-Old Lady!?” Cia shouted, slamming her staff on the ground. “I’ll show you an old lady!”

“W-Wait, please!” Marx pleaded. “I’m scared of GILFs!!”

“What the hell does that even mean!?”

Presenting themselves in the doorway, Todd had arrived back with the requested asset.

“Tada!” He said. “Your very own Grunkle Stan!”

“Mornin’ kids!” Stan said, pointing no attention to his opaque sunglasses. “Todd said one of you needed me?”

“Yes, Yes. Would you mind helping me with something?” Marx asked, the darkness of the kitchen masking his grim smile.

“I guess, though, I’m a little tired, so forgive me if I mess something up!” Stan followed the pink ball into the kitchen.

“That’s okay, all I need is for you to…”

Marx pushed the tin off the counter and onto his head, where he then jumped straight to Stan’s face.

“...Catch This!!”

Stumbling back from the force of the trickster, Stan’s face was covered in a whipped dream. He wiped some off his glasses, and licked some off his finger.

“Thanks, kid! You really helped me wake up!” He said, wiping the rest off with his shirt. “Though, it’s a little… stale?”

Marx stood there, shocked. His master plan, thwarted by the ever powerful skill of not giving a shit.

“I-I’ve Been Dulled!!” He shouted, before running away.

“Are we good to scatter?” Jones asked, getting up.

“Oh, One Thing!” Matpat said. “Wario and I were talking last night, and we agreed that we should have a pool party today!”

“Oh Yeah! I totally forgot there was a pool!” Ryuji exclaimed. “What time?”

“5:30! PM, that is.” Matt explained. “We’ll all meet up here at the kitchen, then depart as a group!”

“Sounds good. See you all then.” Volo said, leaving the room, closely followed by Ryuji.

“M-Mugman!” Lana called.

Mugman stopped sipping his apple juice and turned to face her.

“I… Uh…” Lana stammered. Her attempted words mixed with those floating around her mind. “I just wanted to talk!”

“...Why for?” Mugman asked.

“W-Well, we haven’t really gotten to know each other, have we?” She said, her prior thoughts receding like the tide.

“I guess you’re right!” Mugman laughed. “I see you around so much, I guess I just assumed I knew more about you, but you’re kind of a mystery to me!”

“Well then, why don’t we trade some fun details about ourselves?” Lana suggested. “Ooh, we could even make it a game!!”

“H-How would we make it a game, exactly?” Mugman asked.

“I’unno, like, who has the funnier or cooler story or something?”

“Well then I’ll start!” Mugman cleared his throat and tossed his apple juice to the trash can, hitting the rim and bouncing off. “I once climbed an active volcano, just to prove Cuphead wrong!”

“Oh yeah? Well I went thousands of years in the past just to save the world from evil! Beat that!”

“I literally made a magical sweater just to protect Cuphead from The Devil!”

“Oof, that’s hard to one up…” Lana thought, unaware that her previous brag one ups literally anything. “Well, I don’t have it currently, b-but I used to hold one of the pieces of the Triforce!”

“Triforce?” Mugman asked. “You mean that magical triangle that some people think is like, remnants of the gods who created the world? I thought that wasn’t real!”

“For someone who doesn’t believe in it, you sure know a lot about the Triforce and Hyrule’s history!” Lana giggled. “You know, I’m pretty sure Cia and I were researching the many gods of creation, trying to see how they all fit together. Then, well…”

“You and Cia!?” Mugman exclaimed. “L-Like, on the outside?!”

“Eep! Forget I said anything!!”

“Well, I guess I really can’t one up that .” 

Lana stared off, as if the ceilings which binded them had been ripped open. Everyone had their own stories, they knew that for sure. Then why did she feel so… fake?

“You uh… You okay?” Mugman asked, poking Lana’s shoulder.

“O-Oh, sorry…” Lana said, giving a nervous laugh. “I was just getting lost in thought.”

“Well then, I promised Jones I would help get everything for the party ready, so I’ll be off.” Mugman said, waving goodbye before heading for the stairs.

“W-Wait!!”

As the drug Mugman had given her faded, just as fast as it had infected her very soul, Lana’s thoughts washed over her like a tsunami. Her heart raced, and every glance of Mugman’s face just made her think of that day.

“I-I just wanted to say… I-I…” She muttered. “I’m s-sorry…”

“Sorry for what?”

“S-Sorry we didn’t get a chance to properly meet until now! T-That’s all!”

“It was great to meet you too!” Mugman smiled. “See you later, Lana!”

“Mm.”

Mugman climbed up to the second floor, and went straight for the pool, though he could never be ready for the sight that would behold him.

“H-Help!!” Patrick screamed, riding a large pillar of water five feet above the surface of the water.

“How the heck did you get up there!?” Mugman called.

“I wanted to learn to fly, so I asked the water and now I’m stuck!!”

“D-Don’t look at me!!” Jones exclaimed. “I was getting all the bathing suits ready!”

“Y-Yeah, me too!” Yor said. “I mean, I could get him down, b-but I don’t wanna hurt him…”

“Please! I just wanna feel the ground!!!” 

“If you say so…” 

Yor dropped the handful of scandalous bathing suits she was holding, and crouched down as if she were charging a jump. She ran forward, lunging into the air and tackling Patrick straight down into the water.

Five seconds later, the two emerged. A soggy Yor dragged herself to the stairs and got out, before shaking like a dog in an attempt to dry herself.

“D-Did you have to?” Mugman asked, shielding himself from the water.

“Well, Bond does that all the time, so I thought it must work!” Yor said, an oblivious smile across her face.

“H-Help!!!” Patrick shouted. “It’s happening again!”

“Whatever, I’m gonna go wait in the kitchen.”

“Welcome, mug boy.” Volo said. “You’re late.”

“Sorry, I was helping the guys upstairs.” Mugman explained. “Though, it looks like I was still one of the first.

“I can’t even think of a joke, this is just ridiculous.” Marx said, looking at the room of three people. “Welp, shall we gather our pals and get swimming?”

“Fine by me.” Volo said, rising from the chair. “Marx, you get the guys in the pool, I’ll check the gaming room, and Mugman, you get the library.”

“W-Wait!!” Lana called. “We can help too!”

“Nonsense!” Cia exclaimed. “You can’t just rope me into this!”

Upon seeing the two bickering, Mugman thought about what Lana had said earlier, about the two’s past.

“Come Oooon! It’ll be fun!” Lana said, tugging at her hand. “Here, why don’t you go with Mugman? He’s really easy to talk to!!”

“Ha! That little squirt?” Cia laughed. “Listen, I can shred him across eras, so don’t test me!”

“Oh yeah?” Mugman taunted, attempting to start a friendly squabble. “Like you could do anything to me!”

“Fine! I’ll prove you wrong, if it’s the last thing I do!” Cia exclaimed, stomping up the stairs. “Get up here!”

Mugman followed, a cheeky grin plastered wide across his face. The two continued bickering up the stairs, though it was mostly an insult from Cia followed by a taunt from Mugman. The two reached the library, but noticed… something.

Cia took a deep breath before tackling the issue.

“Why is there cheese on the door?” She asked.

“I’unno.” Mugman said, wiping off just enough to reveal the door lock and a bit of the handle. “Probably Marx, if I had to guess.”

He unlocked the door and carefully maneuvered his fingers around the door knob, being careful to not get any cheese on his gloves.

“Ugh, could you hurry up?” Cia whined.

“Hold on… Got it!”

The door slowly creaked open, the mist of doom spilling out. Though he hadn’t seen it yet, Mugman’s beating heart told him all he needed to know about what waited inside.

Blood poured out of the wound where a kitchen knife poked out, with the limp body collapsed on the chair. 

A red book with a gold hand bathed in the crimson liquid spilling from Stan’s wounds. He had been put to rest on the couch in the corner.