Disclaimer: Y'know, it's impressive. This story hadn't been around for very long, and I love how much you guys are enjoying it.

Lantern Power: Try saying that to his face.

CleomeTheEliatrope: WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT?

RainbowCelin: Great, now I have got Friends On the Other Side stuck in my head… still taking the sweater though. (throws on Mabel's shooting star sweater) I'm fabulous!

OfLifeDeathAndAllBetween: Yay portals!

FrostyAngelWings: There's a bit of similarities between Bill and King. But the biggest difference is one call kill you with a snap of their fingers and shuffle the orifices in your face… and the other is King.

kitgirl91: I plan on using that running joke of Mugman having a crush on Cala Maria. I can have fun with that.

ultima-owner: It's a cartoon world. There is no sense!

snake screamer: The Cala Maria fight is briefly mentioned in a review above. Seriously, I am SO gonna use Mugman in this.

StoriesUnleashed: No one is kidnapping anybody.

"Speaking"

Thinking

Well, it's safe to say she was being stalked now. How freakin' wonderful!

Nicky trailed behind the boys, holding her cloak tight to her chest anxiously. Why was he watching her? Was it to make sure she didn't get into any more trouble? Cuphead and Mugman seemed to be doing a pretty good job at keeping her safe. Well, ignoring the Beppi incident. Ugh, I'm internally rambling. "Uh, guys, where are we heading?"

"There's one last super we have to pick up," Cuphead called over his shoulder. "Chalice should have found it by now." Strolling along the front of several buildings, the marble mausoleum towered high above them. It looked to be in much better care than the last one in isle two. This one had groomed shrubs growing along the sides, and wasn't stuck in the side of a mountain.

Picnic tables, fountains, and statues were all over the place, showing a sense of class. This was the most densely populated isle for a reason. Stepping in through the large archway, they all looked up at the pink ghosts zooming around the room. Sunlight streamed in through the stain glass window on the opposite side. "I'm ready, Cuphead," Mugman said. He grabbed his straw, bringing it down to his mouth to drink… what? Nicky gave him a confused look, before slapping her forehead. Right, they were cups. Of course whatever liquid they had in their heads would be drinkable… to them, at least. She most certainly wasn't gonna try it.

"Here we go." Nicky stepped back against one of the pillars by the wall, and the two went to work. The ghosts were much faster than last time, and now included large goofy pink ghosts that when parried burst into two smaller ghosts. The spinning ones that looped around the room were more abundant, and the two sped up. "I wonder… how hard it is to do that?"

Could she parry? She didn't really think so. The boys were doing flips in the air to pull that stunt off, and she didn't have the flexibility, nor the strength to pull it off over and over again. With the last ghost vanished, Chalice emerged from the vase on the table, looking extremely embarrassed. "Thank goodness you came by! Those lousy ghosts had me but good that time! Here's the last magical super art I was able to find for you!"

Touching their heads, their bodies glowed for a brief second. "Thanks, Chalice!" Cuphead said. "We'll be sure to put it to good use!"

She giggled. "Well, time for me to take a powder. Good luck!" She vanished from the room, and the boys hopped off the table and walked back over to Nicky.

"Take a… she's a ghost. Can she even use the washroom?" She mumbled to herself. "Oh well." Stepping back into the warm light, she turned to Mugman. "So I know that energy blast from your heads is obviously one of the supers. What was the one you got back in isle two?"

"Temporary invincibility," he replied, smiling. "We found out about that during Grim's fight. It helped us win in the end. Not sure what this one does, but we'll find out eventually." Guess that made sense. Climbing a small set of stairs, Cuphead led them towards a large theater.

"Sally Stageplay," he informed them. A man was standing in the ticket booth, letting people inside. "Nicky, looks like you're gonna have to watch from the audience. Mugman and me will find her and get the contract."

"Don't want to draw attention to ourselves. At the same time, everyone knows what we're up to. Guys, what do we do about paying? I don't have any money." Cuphead held up his hand, signaling her to stop talking. Reaching into the opposite pocket of his shorts, he pulled out… gold coins? Where did he get all that?

"Three tickets, please." He handed the man three coins, and were handed their cards. They seriously had to buy their way in to fight this woman? That's just wrong. "Let's go." Inside wasn't as fancy as the casino, but it was cleaner than some of the places she's been in. At least there wasn't sand everywhere. "Good luck, Nicky." He and Mugman dashed off towards where the backstage was, and Nicky moved to the seating area. Balconies high above her to the sides, and a larger seating area on a second floor in the back. Sitting down in a worn seat in the middle of the theater, Nicky watched as Sally stepped onto the stage. Short blonde hair, long nose, and in a white wedding dress. For once, an actual human-looking toon. Still has four fingers though. Wouldn't the girl give to have access to all fingers again and ditch the gloves once and for all. Once Cuphead and Mugman dashed onto the stage, she stepped back angrily. Ripping her dress off to reveal a blue casual dress underneath with an orange umbrella, the curtain went up to reveal a wedding scene behind them. The crowd cheered, and Nicky rolled her eyes. Figures. They think this is all part of the show.

The reverend looked nervous, and the groom shuffled back and forth behind the pews. Using her umbrella, Sally vanished and reappeared across the stage, spinning down on the boys in an attempt to drill their heads in to the floorboards. The small fans she was throwing at them weren't helping either. After a few successful blows, she hopped back where the groom was, who was now in a car, and drove off waving a handkerchief.

The curtain came down, and Nicky laughed. "Asbestos?" That's just cruel, but she guessed it would make sense if you lived in this time period. When the curtain raised again, the car was parked alongside a quaint little home. Sally's attacks remained the same, except there was a baby who kept popping out of different windows to throw milk bottles at them. One of which managed to leave a nasty chip in Mugman's head.

Sally also launched several wind-up mice at them, which if they didn't blow up right away, went up the sides of the stage, over their heads, and then crashed down. Cuphead, visibly annoyed with how much there was to dodge, unleashed a heightened version of his normal bullets. Sally's clothes changed to resemble an angel, and she was lifted up into the air and out of sight.

"Next act," Nicky mumbled. She wasn't going nuts as everyone else was. The play could be a lot better. The acting was terrible and the story was hard to follow. Now, Sally was some sort of evil demon with large black wings in a red dress and orange wig. A golden helmet was on her head, and clouds and meteors were displayed behind her. Mugman and Cuphead jumped out of the way as a large meteor was lowered, but when it cracked open to reveal a pink star, they parried off of it to jump over a man dressed in a towering tsunami costume.

Lightning bolts on rope swung down to meet them, and Cuphead threw himself to the ground to avoid the hits. Mugman jumped up over Cuphead, and Nicky gaped as he briefly became a giant massive head, eyes void of light and laughed darkly. Holy-what the heck? Shrinking back to normal, Mugman's body was enveloped in a sparkly golden light. Temporary invincibility. But c-couldn't the super not start out that way? What was with that laugh!? The bolts struck him, but didn't do any damage. With charged up shots of his normal bullets, Sally was pulled back up into the rafters, holding her chest. The curtain came down, and the crowd went wild. People threw flowers onto the stage, and Sally was waving at the audience in her angel costume, being pulled left to right above the boys' heads.

Her umbrella spun across the stage under her, forcing them to continuously jump to avoid being hit. "Come on, come on, c-YES! Woo hoo!" Nicky cheered as the woman finally was taken down, and the curtain lowered on the play. The boys turned to the audience, and took a bow before they were hidden behind the curtain. Taking one of the flowers laying at the edge of the stage, she ran backstage to meet up with the others. Cuphead stuck the contract away, and he and Mugman grinned at her. "Not bad, guys. That was a great performance."

Sally moaned, painfully taking the harness off of her. Nicky smiled, walking over to the woman. "Here." She held out the flower, and the toon looked at her in surprise. "That was a great show." Speechless, she took the flower, and smiled tearfully at her. "Let's get going, boys." They turned to leave the stage, just as Sally called out behind them.

"Th-thank you." Nicky paused, and turned to look at her. Did... what made this woman bet her soul? Nodding, she smiled back as she continued out of the theater.

Bright light greeted them as they exited the theater, and Mugman patted Nicky's leg. "That was really swell of you, Nicky. Sally seemed really happy at your gift."

"The only musicals I do are Wicked and Hamilton. Still, she has commitment. She'll make it big one day." Some of the debtors really didn't seem like the kind of people to make a deal with the Devil. Sally, Cagney, Hilda; what did they do to have their souls on the line? Beppi and Djimmi might deserve it-no. No one deserved this. They had their faults, but they didn't seem truly evil. Little mentally unstable, yes, but not evil. The only horrible people she had met were the boss and King Di… King. He was King now.

"We're about halfway there," Cuphead announced. They walked back along the road, heading towards the backside of Rumor's building. "How 'bout Werner Werman?"

"Werner… what?" That wasn't English, was it? Stopping in front of a red house, Cuphead knocked on the door. A woman in a light green dress and brown apron greeted them, her red hair pulled back in a bun.

"Hello," she smiled. "I believe you're here to see him about his contract?" They nodded, and she let them enter the house. "I'll get the drink. Be right back." She walked off into the kitchen.

"Drink? What is she talking about?" Cuphead spun his straw nervously, and chuckled. "Cuphead?"

"Well, Werner is a rat. Some toons are able to manipulate their size at will, like what you saw with Hilda. Others can force toons to change their size, but that takes a lot of magic. Then you've got us who need a little boost to actually change height." He stopped spinning the straw, and shrugged. "It'll fade off in a few minutes. Just long enough to get his contract."

The lady returned, holding three shot glasses. Sitting them down, she winked at them. "Good luck. Werner tends to have a few tricks up his sleeve." She headed down the hall, and they heard a door close.

"Makes sense. If he's a rat, he'd live in between the walls of a house." Nicky looked at the cups on the coffee table, she gulped. "Uh… how exactly will this… affect me? I'm not… you know."

"Well, if you're able to bet your soul and digest our food, then changing size shouldn't be too much of a hassle for you." Cuphead took his glass, and dumped the contents into his head. Mugman followed suit, and Nicky, while still cautious, downed the liquid. Hacking, she felt an intense burning in her throat. What-was that alcohol!? Gross! Tears blinded her eyes as she thumped against her chest, trying to get rid of the burning.

Cuphead and Mugman, without any problem, stood at their now smaller height. Nicky's shrinking took a few seconds longer, and it seemed to really hurt her. How to describe it was... weird. It was like something was dragging on a rope from the inside, pulling her downwards. The more it pulled, the smaller she felt. Shame it also felt like her chest was collapsing in on itself. By the time she was an appropriate height, she fell back, staring up at the ceiling. Oh, I feel like I just experienced the worst hangover ever. "Golly, are you okay, Nicky?" The two leaned over her face. Nicky blinked, staring up at them.

"I… I seriously regret that decision. Oh, ow, everything hurts." And everything was bigger too. "Wow, this is weird." She stood up, and suddenly noticed a slight problem. The boys' clothes shrank with them… hers didn't. Well, some of them didn't. Her toon clothes followed with her decrease in size. Her normal clothes… oh no. "Oh, we have got a problem."

"What?" Cuphead asked. "We're on a bit of a schedule, Nicky."

"Guys, only my gloves and cloak shrank. I'm… not-well, you know!" She wasn't saying it, but they seemed to get the hint. Mugman's face lit up in a bright blue blush, and he averted his eyes. Cuphead slapped a hand to his head. Why didn't he think of that sooner? Of course the potion would affect her differently! At least she was still buried inside her sweater. Everything important was covered. "What do I do?"

"Just… uh, stay here. We're get the contract. The potion should wear off in a few minutes." He grabbed Mugman's hand, and sprinted towards the hole in the wall by the dining room. "We'll be right back!" Nicky groaned, and flopped back down in the pile of clothes.

"I pulled an Alice in Wonderland. Brilliant." Wonder if this happened to her when she changed size? She heard the blasting from within the wall, and froze as the cat she spotted during her arrival in Inkwell stalked through the room, and moved over to the wall. Reaching his head through a hole, she heard three loud screams. Please tell me he didn't eat them! The cat's tail swished back and forth, and he tried to claw at them. She couldn't tell how the fight was going from her angle, but she guessed the cat was the last… stage? Could she call them stages? That just made it sound less like a cartoon or book, and more like a video game.

"Knockout!" She heard them shout. The cat started smoking, and he fell over on his side. He was a robot? That… explained a lot. The lady did say this guy had tricks up his sleeve. The two dashed out of the wall, contract in hand. As they got closer, Nicky watched them immediately regain their height, slowing down their pace until they reached her. "You're… still small," Cuphead frowned. "This isn't good."

"You think?" She called up. "Do you know any way to fix this?" Mugman shrugged, and held out a hand by her. Taking the hint, she held her cloak close as she stepped on. Gripping his thumb, she was lifted up to their eye level. Wow, everything was huge. The impact hadn't fully settled in when she was on the floor. Now... it was terrifying.

"Maybe Elder Kettle can whip something up?" He suggested to his older brother. Cuphead put a finger to his chin, and nodded.

"It'll be a bit of a detour, but we've got four of the seven contracts on this isle already. It's almost one now. We've got time." He gathered up Nicky's clothes, head bubbling furiously as he tried to make sure her undergarments were stuck in the middle of the clothes pile. "Let's go."

Ignoring the confused looks sent their way, Mugman and Cuphead ran towards the gateway to the second isle. Mugman had his hands cupped around Nicky, keeping her from falling off and losing her. Cuphead dragged behind him, lagging behind a few steps. Once they reached the Die House, Cuphead struggled to open the door, but managed to let them in.

"Now this ain't right. What're you two finks doin' this way?" Oh great. Nicky suppressed a groan, hearing the familiar sleaze's voice. "Not tryin' to back outta your deal, are ya?"

"We're in a hurry, Dice," Cuphead said, face hidden in the clothes. "We need to see Elder Kettle ri-"

"Are those…?" King Dice's eyes widened for a split second, and stormed up to the boy. Why was this kid carryin' her clothes? Where was doll? "Where is she, boy?" Cuphead flipped a sock out of the way to see clearly, and glared up at him.

"She's fine," Cuphead snapped back. He wasn't gonna let this guy shove him around. Nicky already suffered enough from him and the Devil. "We ran into a bit of a problem." King Dice steeled himself, trying not to grab at the boy. Seeing his hands shaking, Cuphead stepped back cautiously. "Mugman, show him."

Mugman opened his hands, and revealed the brown cloth. King Dice watched the fabric move, and then found a very small, and very ticked girl glaring up at him. "Not. One. Word." The king grinned at her, laughing. "I didn't plan on this to happen!"

"Why doll, guess that name for ya suits you perfectly now!" Nicky flipped her hood up, burying into her cloak. "Li'l big mouth shrunk down in size!"

"I will end you!" She shouted, blushing. "Just-somebody, please. Get me back to normal." She hated this. Hands down, this topped her slowly shrinking hatred of cartoons. "And get me some clothes that actually fit me!"

"Elder Kettle should have something for you, Nicky." Mugman adjusted his hand, making sure she didn't slide off. "Be patient."

"I don't do patient, I do action," she retorted. Hearing the older toon's chuckles, she glanced up at him. Being the boys' height, she understood how intimidating King could be. He was already much taller than what she considered normal. From her measly several inch height, he was a giant. "Would you stop laughing, please?"

"Anything for you, doll!" Oh, he was going DOWN! "Alright, you mugs. I'll let ya pass, but she's stayin' with me." Wait, what!? "Cup here can't be carryin' all of that. This is just slowin' you three down. Leave 'em with me, and get that there potion." Cuphead opened his mouth, ready to argue again but Mugman put his free hand on his shoulder.

"We need to hurry, Cuphead. We have less than 12 hours to get the three contracts." Cuphead sighed, and dropped the clothes off to the side of the room. Mugman smiled, and looked down at Nicky. "We'll be right back." He held out his hand, and Nicky slid into King's awaiting hand.

"Don't try any funny business, Dice," Cuphead warned. His head steamed as he moved past him, and opened the door. "We'll be back." Giving one last look at the girl, he closed the door, leaving them alone.

"Hmm. It's 'bout time those two left." Leaning against the wall, he lifted the girl up to his face. "Why the glum face, sweetheart? Not happy to see me?" He gave a small pout, and she rolled her eyes.

"Not really. You've been stalking me. Don't think I didn't see you down by the waterfront" she stated. "Why? Why are you so interested in me?" He brought his other hand up, and ran his index finger along the top of her head down her back. "Stop that."

"I'm 'fraid I can't, darlin'. Ya see, you're in no position to be tellin' me what to do. I can follow through on that threat from before, very easily." He stopped his petting, and the hand holding her twisted around and squeezed her tightly. Gasping as the air rushed out of her lungs, she fought against his hold. His fingers loosened, and Nicky's head slumped forward, breathless. "Now, you're sayin that I'm stalkin' you. Maybe I am. Ain't my fault you've got my attention."

"And it isn't my fault I ain't interested," she countered. "Things like that, are what make me even more not interested than I already am. Do you get that? Or do I have to bash your cube head in for it to sink in. I. Don't. Like you. Sighing, she averted her eyes. "Look, I still have no clue why you decided start following me, or dropping by my room while I-"

"You were havin' a nightmare, sweetheart." Wh… what? Nicky spun her head up to look at him. She was… she didn't remember having a nightmare. But… her eyes were a little red when she woke up. "Figured you needed a li'l comforting. Why'd you think I left my jacket with ya?" He smiled as a look of understanding went over her. "You're not exactly a social butterfly, are ya, doll?"

"No. I-besides my parents, I didn't really have anyone else close to me. I was... alone. Not many people really enjoy the attitude I bring with me." His hand moved under her, and she was now sitting properly again. "Okay, maybe you have your nice moments. Still hate the fact you're a little on the creep side."

King smirked. She'll change her mind. "Still not cozy with li'l ol' me, darlin'?" Nicky flipped her hood down, and shrugged.

"You're gonna have to go a long, long way to change my opinion, King. It doesn't take a whole lot to gain my trust, but it takes much more to regain it. But… I'll give you the benefit of a doubt." She didn't want to, but… she guessed he deserved it? He almost went into a battle against the monstrosity that is the Devil, all to keep her relatively uninjured. "I swear, you screw this one chance up, and I will have my foot up your butt so quick your grandchildren will be complaining."

The toon threw his head back, laughing. "Ah ha ha! Good luck with that, doll face. You're gonna regret that choice." Probably, but she couldn't back down now.

"Got it!" Cuphead burst into the room, holding a small vial. Mugman ran in a few seconds later, panting. Did they actually run all the way there and back? "Here you go, Nicky. This should help." He handed the vial to her, which thankfully was small enough for her to hold in her arms.

"Thanks. Now get out."

"What?" Cuphead stepped back, confused. But he just got he-?

"King, put me on the floor, and everyone GET OUT!" She was quickly deposited on the floor, and the three stepped out; Cuphead and Mugman noticeably more quickly than King Dice. He gave her a sly wink, and closed the door. Once she made certain that no one was going to barge in, she lifted the vial up… and had the entire liquid pour over her. Sputtering, she felt her hair cling to her back. Thankfully, she managed to get enough in her mouth.

Regrowing to her normal height wasn't as bad as shrinking. Maybe because the boys had told Elder Kettle how the potion affected her. This didn't burn her insides as much as the other did. It was like shrinking, only in reverse, with the pulling sensation going upwards instead of downwards. The moment she reached her normal size, she quickly grabbed her clothes. It was awkward, putting everything on with the cloak still on. She just wanted some decent cover in case a certain toon entered before she was done. "There." She finished sliding her shoes on, and nodded. "I'm decent!"

As they walked back in, Nicky adjusted her cloak accordingly. "This is going on the list of things I will never ever tell my parents. Ever." Cuphead laughed, and Mugman grabbed her hand.

"C'mon, guys. Three more to get, and we're home free," Cuphead announced. "To the junkyard!"

"To the-hey!" Nicky was dragged back the way the came by the younger brother, the two filled with excitement. "Uh, b-bye King!" She waved with her free hand, and was soon pulled back to the other isle. King grinned, and fixed his tie.

She was calling him King more often now. Sure, progress was slow, but it's better. Like that boy said, only three to go, and then… it was his turn.

This is more or less a fun chapter. Not as serious as some of the others.

Not sure exactly how shrunken Nicky came into play, but it's some Tim Burton Alice in Wonderland jazz that I had to use.

Until next time!

Angel