Cuphead steeled himself before stepping out of the elevator door. He had never seen Hell before, and he couldn't help but take a quick look around. There was the expected fire and brimstone, as well as some portraits of The Devil that he was sure was going to haunt his nightmares. Cuphead shook his head to try and clear away the thoughts of Devil spiders trying to eat him alive. Focus Cuphead, he told himself, you have a job to do. Just get in, make the trade, grab Mugman, and get out. He didn't want to spend a second longer in this place than he had to. Five seconds in and it was already giving him the willies.

Luckily, he had managed to find The Devil pretty quickly. (Now that was a strange thought, he never thought a day would come where he would be happy to see The Devil.) He was sitting on a big red throne near the end of the room. It was almost as if he was waiting for something, like he was expecting him. But that couldn't be, right?

"Hello Cuphead, so nice to see you again." The Devil gloated. Cuphead's suspicions had been correct, he had indeed been expecting him. Cuphead always had more spirit than sense, so he knew that he would be rushing down here to get his precious brother back. When he had told Mugman all of that stuff about how Cuphead didn't care, he was lying through his teeth. Of course Cuphead cared. He never would've taken Mugman if he didn't think it would hurt him. He would never understand mortals' attachments to one another, especially when it came to these two (Why on earth would anyone want to be near Cuphead for an extended period of time? Mugman must've been mad long before he turned him.) But he knew how to exploit them. "To what do I owe this pleasure? I don't really get many visitors down here you know."

"Can the small talk, ya know why I'm here." Cuphead snarled, holding up the pitchfork defensively.

"Oh! Of course!" The Devil feigned realization. "You want to see that brother of yours, am I right? What a lovely family reunion!" Cuphead looked at him skeptically, wondering where he was going with this. This wasn't right, this was too easy. Surely The Devil wasn't going to just hand him over, at least, not without confirmation that he would get his pitchfork back in return. "Mugboy, you have a visitor." The Devil called off to the right. Cuphead saw the familiar silhouette of a certain mug come forward into the room. His heart lifted and all his suspicions went out the window. He rushed up to the figure and embraced him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Mugsy! You're alright!" He shouted. But he had barely gotten his arms around him when he was forcefully shoved to the ground. "Hey!" He shouted in annoyance. "Look, Mugsy, I understand why you're mad, but…." Cuphead trailed off as he got a good look at his brother for the first time. He looked…off. His handle had broken off again, some of his teeth were chipped, and his blue color scheme was darker. But most disturbing of all were his eyes. They had a reddish tint, and had an evil glint to them that he'd never seen in his brother before, even at his angriest. Any trace of love or affection towards him that was normally found there was gone, replaced with a cold hardness.

"M-Mugman?" Cuphead stuttered, tears forming in his eyes. "What happened? What did The Devil do to you?"

"I improved him." The Devil answered for him. "I really must thank you, Cuphead. That brother of yours makes for an excellent demon."

"Demon?!" Cuphead shouted in alarm. No, no no, this wasn't possible. How could his brother be a demon?! He was one of the kindest people he had ever met! He had to fix this, he had to fix this right now. He took out the pitchfork and practically shoved it into The Devil's hands. "Here! You've got your stupid pitchfork back, now give me back my brother! Turn him back!" The Devil only chuckled at his request.

"I'm afraid it's not that simple Cuphead," he said. "You see, your brother signed a contract. He belongs to me now. Not exactly the cup that I wanted, but I'll make do." Cuphead's eyes widened in shock. He had signed a contract?! No, no, Mugman would never do something like that! The Devil was lying, he had to be!

"Mugman….tell me it isn't true. Please, just tell me it isn't true." Cuphead stuttered, turning back towards his brother. Mugman gave a wicked grin that sent chills up Cuphead's spine.

"Now why would I do that?" He asked, in a voice slightly deeper than his own. "That would be a lie." Cuphead looked stricken at this. He had actually signed a contract? Why would he do that? He must've been tricked, like he was during the soul ball game. He must not have known what he was signing. That was the only way this could make any sense.

"It doesn't matter." Cuphead declared. "We waited out my soul debt, we'll just do the same thing for you. Just come home with me, we'll figure this out!" He grabbed Mugman's hands in desperation, ready to pull him towards an exit. It seemed that in his shocked state that he had forgotten he was still within earshot of The Devil, who could hear his plans of escape and would surely catch them. All he could focus on was getting his brother out of this horrible place, getting him back to the way he used to be. But it didn't matter, Mugman wrenched his hands out of Cuphead's grasp as if his touch burned him.

"You think I want to go back? With you?! No way." he said. Cuphead stared at him, eyes wide.

"You….you want to stay here?! Mugsy, this is Hell! Ya know, fire, brimstone, torture?! How could ya possibly want to stay?!"

"Of course you don't get it." He snarled. "Up there, I was nobody, but here? I have power here Cuphead, power that you couldn't possibly imagine." Cuphead scoffed at this.

"What power? You're just another one of The Devil's minions! He's playing ya like a banjo and you can't even see it!" Mugman's eyes flared at this accusation.

"Oh, you would know all about that, wouldn't you?" he shot back, causing Cuphead to stop in his tracks.

"What are ya talkin' about?" he asked. Now it was Mugman's turn to scoff.

"Don't play dumb with me Cuphead. I know you didn't come down here because you care about me. You just want me to be a patsy and do your bidding!"

"WHAT?!" Cuphead shouted in alarm. How could Mugman even say such a thing? He didn't really mean that, did he? No, he couldn't have, The Devil must've been influencing his thoughts somehow. "Mugsy, of course I care about ya!" Mugman let out a humorless laugh.

"Yeah, right! If you care about me so much, why did you try to replace me the first chance you got?"

"That was your idea first!" Cuphead protested. "And I apologized for that!"

"Oh, you apologized, and that's supposed to make it ok?!" Mugman shouted. His hands erupted with flames with this outburst of anger. Mugman looked at his hands, gave an evil grin, and tossed a fireball at Cuphead. Cuphead ducked out of the way just in time. So this new transformation of Mugman's gave him fire powers? That would be really cool if he wasn't trying to hurt him with them.

"Come on Mugsy, this isn't you! You would never want to hurt me! Just come home with me and we'll undo this evil spell!"

"You don't get to tell me what to do anymore!" Mugman shouted and hurled another fireball at him, which Cuphead also managed to dodge. "My whole life was spent trailing behind you, making sure you didn't get yourself hurt, while you didn't seem to care if I lived or died! Well no more!" He said as he launched another fireball.

"Of course I care if ya live or die!" Cuphead protested as he kept dodging.

"Is that why you kept dragging me on your little adventures that could get us killed?!" Mugman shot back. This wounded Cuphead's pride a little. He wasn't trying to get them killed, he was just trying to have a little fun! Was that so wrong?

"None of my adventures would've killed us!"

"Oh really? What about almost getting eaten in Sugarland? Or getting lost in the woods? Or being strapped to a rocket?!" Cuphead looked down, ashamed. He didn't mean for any of that to happen, but those things did get a little out of hand. He couldn't exactly refute what was being said. "Just look at where we are now, Cuphead! This is all because of you!"

"That's why I'm trying to save ya!" Cuphead shouted. "I'm sorry for all that stuff, but I can fix it if you would just come home! I'll never put ya in danger again!" For some reason Mugman started laughing uproariously at this.

"You're trying to save me? Did you really think I would fall for that? I don't need saving, Cuphead. I feel better than I ever have. Besides, after all those times I stuck my neck out for you, grabbing your soul out of the soul ball machine, making you that invisible sweater, putting it on The Devil, all just to save your pathetic little soul, what have you ever done for me in return? Tell me, Cuphead. You can't even think of one thing, can you?" Cuphead's mind raced, trying to think of something to prove to Mugman that he did care, trying to think of a time where he saved him instead of the other way around. But he couldn't do it. His heart sank. Was he really that bad a brother? He couldn't think of one time that he had saved Mugman, when Mugman saved him so often? Maybe it was the heat of the moment, the stress of trying to think of something on the spot, or maybe…..Maybe Mugman was right, maybe he was a bad brother after all.

"Ooo, hit a little too close to home for you, Cuphead?" The Devil mocked from his throne. He had gotten popcorn out and was enjoying the show.

"You shut up!" Cuphead shouted. "This is all your fault! You're the reason he's like this!"

"Am I?" The Devil questioned. "I didn't make him do anything, Mugman signed that contract of his own free will. That anger and darkness was already inside of him. I just gave him a way to wield it." Cuphead's tears flowed faster now, no, no, that couldn't be. He was lying, he had to be! But he couldn't deny the fact that it just made sense. If it wasn't for Cuphead, he wouldn't've been down here to get himself transformed in the first place. If it wasn't for Cuphead, Mugman would be safe. If it weren't for Cuphead, The Devil wouldn't even know who they were at all. The Devil was right, Mugman was right. His brother always did so much for him, and what did he do for him in return? Nothing. He just dragged him into crazy adventures and put him in peril. He'd always thought Mugman was the one holding him back, but it was the other way around. His brother would be better off without him. His breath hitched on that last thought. Better off without him. That was it. That was how he could get Mugman back. His brother would never have to worry about The Devil again. All he had to do was stop running.

"You're right Mugsy. You're right, I have been taking advantage of you. I've been a terrible brother for makin' ya feel this way." Cuphead said through his tears. "I haven't sacrificed anything for ya, not like you have for me. But that stops now." Cuphead steeled himself, this would be the hardest thing he ever had to do, but he knew, deep down, that he had to. For Mugman. He took a deep breath and called out "Hey! Devil!"

"Ugh, what do you want?"

"I want to make a deal." This peaked The Devil's interest and his eyebrows went up.

"Do you now?"

"Yeah. You want my soul so bad? You can have it. Just turn my brother back and let him go!" The Devil pretended to consider it. This was what he wanted all along. He had gone through so much to get this cup's soul, and now he was offering it up willingly. He should've kidnapped his brother ages ago.

"You've got yourself a deal kid." The Devil said, offering up a binding handshake. Cuphead reaches for it, but then hesitates.

"And you won't hurt him ever again? Or anyone in my family?"

"If that's what you want." The Devil said coolly. Cuphead hesitated further, tears flowing down his face. He was going to die. Right here, right now. He would never see the cottage again, never get to grow up, never go on another adventure. He would never again see his Elder Kettle, or Chalice, or Mugman. But he had to do this, he had to make sure Mugman would be safe.

"Deal" He said, completing the handshake. The Devil grinned an evil, manic, grin.

"Oh, finally! I am going to enjoy this." he said, before reaching out to take Cuphead's soul.

"Wait!" Cuphead shouted in desperation, leading The Devil to give an over dramatic sigh.

"Ugh! What is it now!" He shouted.

"Can ya get Mugman back to normal first? I just….I just want to say goodbye."

"Ugh, fine!" The Devil said, rolling his eyes. Stupid mortals and their sentimentality. The Devil snapped his fingers and Mugman blinked, like he was waking up from a bad dream. When he saw Cuphead his face brightened and he rushed over. He knew it! The Devil was wrong, his brother did come for him!

"Cuphead!" He shouted, about to tackle him in a hug, then stopped when he saw the tears rushing down Cuphead's face. "Cuphead, it's ok. I'm here, I'm safe. Let's get out of here, ok?" Cuphead just shook his head.

"I can't." He said simply. Mugman's face fell.

"What-what do you mean?"

"I have to go now Mugsy." Cuphead said. "But just know that I love ya. I love ya and I'm sorry. I'm sorry I got you into so much trouble, that I put you in danger, that I always fought with ya. I'm sorry for being such a bad brother." Mugman was crying now too. Why was he talking like this? Why was he saying these things? It sounded like a goodbye. But it couldn't be, it couldn't!

"You're not. I promise you're not." Mugman pleaded. "Please, just come home with me! Whatever's going on we can work it out! We always do!" Cuphead shook his head again.

"Not this time," he said. He felt a tug on his soul and knew that he didn't have much time left, he was going to have to wrap this up. "Tell Elder Kettle I'm sorry too, and Chalice, if you see her. I'll miss you. I'll miss all of you." Mugman's eyes widened. Miss him? What did he mean? He saw something wispy and intangible leave Cuphead's body, and it started going gray. No. No! This couldn't be happening! Not now! He thought his soul debt had expired! He turned towards The Devil, who was cradling the soul with a wicked grin on his face. Finally! That took way too much energy. But finally that cup's soul was his!

"Give him back!" Mugman shouted. "Give me my brother back!"

"Oh, sorry, no can do." The Devil said, fake pity laced in his voice. "He gave up his soul willingly, all to save you. Looks like I was wrong, he does care about you." Mugman's heart dropped, and his tears got heavier. What had he done? All the good memories were flowing back to him now. "My brother Mugman is the smartest person I know." "Thanks Mugsy, you're the best brother a cup could ever have." "You're my best friend, and that's how it's always gonna be." Mugman choked back a sob. How could he have thought that Cuphead didn't care? How could he have entertained that idea, even for a second? Now Cuphead believed it too, and because of that he was gone.

"You're free to go." The Devil said while calling down the elevator. "Ta ta now." Hearing The Devil's mocking voice in response to his suffering caused something to snap in Mugman. He screamed like a ferocious animal and lunged towards The Devil. He had no plan in place, he just wanted to hurt him, no, he wanted to kill him. The Devil seemed nonplussed at this reaction and simply ordered his demons to restrain him. They quickly did and dragged him to the elevator, kicking and screaming all the way.

"NO! CUPHEAD! CUPHEAD!" He shouted. But it was no use. His brother was gone. And this time he wasn't coming back.