Hello my lovely readers! We are back with a new chapter!
Glad to be back after a long weekend, but I had a good trip!
Anyway, this is inspired by one of my favorite episodes of Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog! Hope you enjoy it!
Anyway, let's continue our story...
Season 1, episode 14; Danger is my middle name!
In the depths of the underworld, the Devil was on his throne, holding something in his hands and using a small tool, twisting and turning. Since the events at the pier, he had to stay away from attempting to kidnap Audrey and take Cuphead's soul.
His fur on his belly and chest was back, but his arms were still a bit cooked, as the bandages showed. Bash and Shriek entered the throne room, carrying trays of refreshments, and saw him working.
"Say, boss? What are you working on?" Bash asked.
"One second…and…it's done!" The Devil cheered, holding something small in his hands. "Well, boys! I've really outdone myself this time! Remind me to award myself 'The Medal For Mastery in Superior vileness'!"
"Didn't you just give yourself that award last week?" Bash asked.
And the week before that?
"Well, make up a better one, then!" He snapped, causing Shriek to fly back. "Because this is inspired by pure evil!"
He then held out his hand and showed his minions a square shaped red ruby, surrounded by a gold, diamond frame, that was connected to a gold chain.
"I call this, the Entrapment Ruby." He announced to them. "Isn't it enchanting?"
The two minions looked closely at it, but it didn't look very 'entrapment' to them. However, they didn't want to enrage him so they decided to try and praise him for his work.
"Wow, uh, it sure is, uh, enchanting, your meanness." Bash claimed.
Yeah, uh, really enchanting." Shriek added. "I bet it does something really... uh, enchanting?"
"You bimbos! It's more than enchanting!" The Devil snapped. "It's the key to finally getting that cup's soul and my bride! Watch!"
He then waved his hand over the gem and it began to glow. Just then, it opened and created a strong wind that began to pull Bash in.
"No-ho-ho-ho!" He screamed.
He tried to grab onto something but missed, being pulled in. As he slipped into the gem, the Devil clicked it shut, and everything was quiet again.
"Ha! It worked!" He cheered. "He's trapped inside this gem so he can't escape! He can move around sure, but he cannot get out. Not even Audrey's magic can help them. The nice thing is it can trap up to two people in there, which is very intentional."
He handed Shriek the gem and he looked at it in surprise. Turns out, Bash was trapped in there, frantically looking around his area. His brother poked it a few times, before flicking it, making Bash get tossed around. Seeing his pain, he began shaking it, laughing.
"Whoa! This really is great!" Shriek beamed. "And he can't get out?"
"That's right." The Devil nodded.
Shriek then proceeded to have some fun for a bit; he bounced it up and down like a yo-yo, zoomed it around like a plane and grasped it in his hand, shaking it violently like shaking a soda can. That caused him to laugh with delight.
I mean, it is kinda fun doing that to your sibling, getting back at all the times they messed with you.
He then twirled it around, with his finger around the chain, but he enjoyed it too much because it smacked him in the head.
"OW!" He screamed, rubbing his nose.
"Oh, get a hold of yourself." The Devil grumbled. "I suffered worse you know."
"That's true." Shriek grunted. "Say while it's great, how does trapping Bash in here get that Cup and Audrey?"
The Devil gave himself a facepalm before snatching the necklace from Shriek. "You imbecile! You're going to use it on Cuphead and Audrey."
He then waved his hand over the gem again and it opened up this time pulling Bash out, making him land on his feet. He groaned as he felt dizzy, trying to keep balance and looked very green.
"Uuuggghhh…that was rough." He moaned. "Oh man, I think I'm gonna be sick. What happened while I was there?"
"Oh uh, earthquake?" Shriek asked, shrugging.
Seeing that Shriek had something to do with it, Bash grabbed his shirt collar and raised his fist ready to punch the life out of his brother. The Devil, unfortunately, ruined his chance to do so.
"Take this and find that Cup and Audrey." He ordered. "I want them here by suppertime!
"By suppertime?" Shriek repeated. "How's Cuphead and Audrey gonna eat if they're trapped?"
The Devil grabbed the two and placed them near the exit.
"Before you bimbos leave, I want you to have this."
He then handed them a small hand mirror with a black frame and silver outline.
"A mirror?" Bash looked at it oddly. "What's this for?"
"This is no ordinary mirror." The Devil mentioned. "This is a magical communication device. It will allow me to contact you and ask for updates."
"But we already do that when we get kicked back." Shriek pointed out. "What difference does this make?"
"The difference is time!" He snapped. "You'll lose time if you're back here. Plus this will help me send word out to you and tell you if you're in deep trouble or not."
"Yeah, I guess that makes sense." Bash mentioned. "We can also come up with plans that you suggest. You do come up with the best evil and wicked schemes."
"Oh thank you." The Devil beamed. "Now, I do have a suggestion for you two."
"Really? What's that?" They asked.
"GET OUT OF HERE AND BRING ME THOSE TWO MORTALS!" He shouted.
He then pulled his foot back before literally kicking the two out of the underworld. As they got flung out, Bash snapped at his brother
"You are so dumb!"
"What? What? What'd I say?" Shriek asked, as the two vanished from their master's presence, getting sucked up by the large funnel.
Meanwhile on the surface, it was another slow day with not a lot going on, especially at Porkrind's shop. However, there was a customer there chatting with him.
He was a tall skinny man, wearing a marian blue trench coat, a turquoise scarf, a dark blue hat, white gloves and red shoes, barely peeking from his coat. It was hard to see his face, but he did have a red nose much like the Devil, and had white eyes with black pie-cut irises.
"So, you got that package?" The customer asked in a raspy voice.
"Yeah." Porkrind nodded. He then bent down and pulled up a brown box labeled 'danger' in red letters.
"One box of grenades. Two sacks of gunpowder. A spool of piano wire. And one tube of toothpaste." He replied.
Sheesh, what's he gonna do, threaten someone to brush their teeth? Seems a bit extreme but I guess people have their preferences.
"Spearmint. Nobody procures black-market goods like you do, Porkrind." The mysterious stranger replied.
"Shh! Don't use my real name!" Porkrind shushed. Leaning close, he whispered. "I like to keep a low profile."
However, just as he finished saying that, the door slammed open and three voices called out.
"Hi, Porkrind!"
He looked and sure enough it was the cup boys and Audrey. The boys had their arms linked together and Cuphead was holding a large glass jar under his arm.
Porkrind groaned, rubbing his forehead with his fingers, while the mysterious customer slipped into the shadows, vanishing from sight.
"Today's the day, Porkrind. We've been saving up our chore nickels!" Cuphead announced, as they stepped towards the counter. "Can you guess what we're gonna spend them on?"
"No." Porkrind groaned.
"The greatest game in all the Inkwell Isles!" Cuphead answered, pointing to a pinball machine.
The game had a volcano outline, with the face of a cartoon hero, presumably being Dirk Dangerous. There were various jungle animals and creatures around, as well as a tropical scene.
"Also, it's a little bit scary." Mugman meekly replied.
"Dirk Dangerous vs. the Volcano!" Cuphead called in a loud and confident voice.
"But remember, you promised to take turns for this game." Audrey reminded him. "I don't want you two fighting over who's turn it is."
"T-that's ok, Miss Audrey." Mugman stammered. "Cuphead can play. I-I'm not interested."
"You sure, honey? I don't want you to miss out." Audrey claimed, kneeling to his level.
"No worries. Cuphead can spend his money on the game, I'll just buy something here." He smiled.
Audrey nodded and saw that Cuphead placed on yellow goggles before instructing Mugman
"Nickel me."
Mugman did, and saw his brother place it in the slot and began to play. While the game of pinball is very harmless, minus the ball that's being whacked around the thing, Mugman still got worried about it. He saw the robotic snake move, the crocodile's jaw going up and down, and the light bulb flashing red.
Mugman got scared and backed away, right into Audrey who was looking at some shoes.
"Oh! Honey, are you ok?" She asked, kneeling again to his level and holding him. She felt him shake so something must have startled him.
"I-it's just the game." He trembled. "I-I don't like scary creatures like that."
"I know it can be scary, but know you're safe." Audrey assured him, rubbing his back. "Snakes and crocodiles live in the jungle. We live near a forest. Just harmless woodland creatures like squirrels, rabbits, and many more."
"Ok. I think I'll just look around the shop until he's finished." He informed Audrey.
"That's a good idea." Audrey smiled. "Maybe if they're something you would like, you can buy something."
He nodded and popped over to the counter.
"Oh. Hey, Porkrind! Whatcha doin'?" He asked with a cute grin. He then pointed to a golden knucks set that has spikes, claiming "Oh! That looks neat."
But Porkrind snatched it away, grunting
"Not for you."
Mugman then peered in a jar with a pickle inside asking "What's in this jar?
But the shop owner took that away from him too. "Hands off." He stated
"What about this?" Mugman asked, pointing to a bomb.
Seriously, what kind of shop is this?
He took that away simply claiming it as "Classified."
He then placed the confiscated objects on a shelf behind his desk, hoping that would be the end of it. Sadly, it was not.
Just then Mugman looked over and saw a shelf of shoes and got very excited.
"Whoa! Porkrind! A shoe!" He giggled. Speaking quickly, he jabbered on "I found a shoe on the road and put it on my foot. The shoe was too small. I wore it anyway. I lost my shoe earlier. And it popped right on!"
Now, between hearing Mugman go on and on about some shoe he found on the road and Cuphead playing on the loud pinball machine, Porkrind was starting to, well, lose it.
He got very angry as his face turned red, conjuring a hammer, shoved his desk aside, and swung his hammer at Cuphead and Mugman, beheading them. Their bodies fell as Audrey screambed a bloodcurdling scream, while Porkrind raised his hammer and laughed at the top of his lungs in triumph.
Now I would say this is the end of the series…if it was just Porkrind daydreaming that whole thing, as he rested his hand on his cheek and arm on the counter.
Mugman, who looked confused, kept trying to get his attention by calling out his name.
"Porkrind. Porkrind. Porkrind. Hey, Porkrind! Porkrind! Porkrind!"
Snapping back to reality and getting an idea, he then announced to the boys "You know, you two would be perfect for a special job. Eh, never mind. It's probably too dangerous."
"Dangerous?" Cuphead asked excitedly while Mugman's response was a bit more concerned.
"Oh, yeah. Very scary." Porkrind announced, pulling a small sheet from his overalls. "I need a delicate package picked up from this very dangerous location."
He handed them the sheet and the trio looked at it. The image showed an old castle, with two small towers near it, and at the top of the sheet read "Sparrington Castle"
"Sparrington Castle?" The trio asked.
"Yep, that's the place." Porkrind nodded.
"Cuphead and I have lived in Inkwell all our lives." Mugman claimed. "How come we never heard of it?"
"Because, this castle is a place no one dares to enter." Porkrind explained. "Back in the time of medieval kings, princes, and knights, Sparrington Castle was one of the many places where great battles would commence. They battled for glory, fame, hands in marriages, the whole nine yards."
"Sooo, what's the package?" Audrey asked, arching an eyebrow. She wasn't totally convinced that 'Sparrington Castle' was a real place, especially since it was coming from him.
"Oh, it's something very delicate." He replied. "I can't just tell you that's personal castle is about ten miles north from here, passed the large oak trees and should be by the stone pillars."
He then looked at the brothers and then claimed "I can sense within you the bravery required to complete this mission."
The boys got excited but then Porkrind pointed to Mugman and said "You, not so much."
"Hey! Don't be mean to him." Audrey snapped. "I'm sure there is a brave Mugman inside of him."
"Yeah and honestly, I take offense." Mugman frowned. "I could be dangerous too. Hmph!"
He turned his back and headed out confidently with his brother and Audrey.
"Yeah. Don't wait up for us." Cuphead added.
"Oh trust me, I won't." Porkrind muttered.
As soon as they left the shop and walked past a long blue mirror with trunk and a hatstand, Mugman began to freak out again, whimpering and trembling.
"Honey? You ok?" Audrey asked.
"I'm not dangerous. How could I say that?" Mugman trembled. Grabbing his brother he cried. "We gotta back out! I'm not up for this! I wanna go home!"
He started to run off, leaving annoyed Cuphead rolling his eyes.
"Oh, brother…Wait!" He pulled out the goggles from his pocket and rushed after his brother, bringing him back to the mirror.
"Hold on there, Mugsy. Whenever I need a little extra confidence, I slap on these Dirk Dangerous goggles." Cuphead explained, putting the goggles on his brother. "These things have some kind of magical power.
"Really?" Mugman asked.
"Would I lie about something this important?" His brother asked. "I'm telling you, when I put these on, I'm infused with confidence and bravery!"
Audrey had to smile. It was nice that Cuphead was looking out for him and wanted to make him feel encouraged and assured. She remembered when she had to take a big test in school, she would wear one of her favorite t-shirts and perfume, easing her tensions as she went in.
"Confidence and bravery?" Mugman repeated. "Well, I guess I can hold on to them for a bit. Maybe I'll wear them when I need them most. Thanks, Cuppy."
He then took off the goggles and placed them in his back pocket. The trio then began to head out. As they walked, Audrey pulled Cuphead aside.
"I want to say thank you for that." She smiled. "I know you both don't see eye to eye on some cases, but I'm glad you wanted to give your brother confidence."
"Eh, I wanted to help him out." He shrugged. "I know he can be a bit cautious, but sometimes you need to give him that small nudge, that's all."
They then joined Mugman and headed off.
As they headed off the castle, meanwhile, in the woods, Bash and Shriek finished setting up their ice cream truck labeled "Sweet Victory" on the side. They had a striped flap and a sign with the 'flavor of the day' along with some cute designs.
Shriek was outside the truck, wearing an ice cream hat and apron, and was listening to Bash, who was hiding in a bush nearby. Bash wasn't having much luck trying to explain the plan to his brother.
"D'oh, for the 20th time! You serve them the ice cream real slow, so I have plenty of time to trap them in the entrapment ruby! You got it now?!"
"Um…" Shriek pondered, making his brother more annoyed.
"Shriek, you're as dumb as a rock!"
"Uh, metamorphic, igneous, or sedimentary?" Shriek asked.
"Ignoramus!" Bash shouted, as he pulled himself back.
Just then, he puts his arms through the hole in the bush which is now holding a boulder, which he smashed onto Shriek's head.
Stars began to spin around Shriek''s head, until Bash swatted the boulder off with his right hand.
"There, that oughta make things more clear." He grumbled, as he saw a lump appear above his brother's head.
Shriek shook off the feeling and pushed his hat down, making the lump go down as well.
Just then, Bash called out "Look! They're coming! Get ready!"
Shriek looked and sure enough, the trio was heading down that path towards them. He straightened himself out, cleared his throat and pulled out a hand bell. He began to ring it calling out
"Ice cream! Get your ice cream here! All kinds of flavors to try!"
"Oh! Ice cream!" The boys squealed. Turning to Audrey they asked "Can we get some? Pretty please?"
Audrey gave a small laugh. "Ok, ok we can get some for the road. But let's not order anything complicated. We need to get that package quickly."
The boys cheered and rushed to the stand. As Audrey joined them, she couldn't help but look oddly at the ice cream man. She knew that different people and objects had different occupations, but something about this one seemed a bit, off.
"Alright, fellas, what'll it be?" Shriek asked.
"I'll take a scoop of chocolate!" Cuphead beamed.
"I'll have a scoop of cookie dough." Mugman smiled.
"And I'll do a scoop of strawberry." Audrey finished, pulling out her wallet.
Once she paid, the trio got their cones and began eating the ice cream. Audrey still had a strange feeling about those two and decided to see if they were the real deal.
"So, you're selling ice cream?" Audrey started. "You like the business?"
"Oh, uh, yeah! Love the business!" Shriek smiled nervously. "Been doing it for a while!"
"Oh really? How long?" Audrey asked.
"Erm, a few months now." Shriek answered. "The boss is really nice."
"What's his name?"
"Oh it's De…rick?" He quickly stated.
Audrey could tell he was lying, seeing how sweat rolled down his forehead and had a very nervous look on his face. She knew she could simply reveal him, but she wanted to have some fun first.
"Ohhh Derick huh? Sounds like a nice guy." Audrey continued. "Gotta say, I bet he really trusts you to get the job done."
"He sure does!" Shriek beamed. "Though he can be a bit tough at times."
"Makes sense. Some bosses are like that." Audrey nodded. "Say, what kind of flavors do you have? I love ice cream and wanted to know what you had."
"Oh sure. I have the usual standards; vanilla, chocolate, strawberry, mint, etc etc." Shriek listed. "I also have some mixed flavors with cool names. This one is called Strawberry shortcake."
"Ooh that sounds yummy." Audrey smiled. "Also is there anything dairy free? Sorry asking for a friend."
"No worries. There are a few dairy free options." Shriek replied. "There's these flavors and dark chocolate."
"Yum! That sounds good!" Audrey commented. "Is it popular?
"Yeah! It's the boss's favorite flavor." Shriek smiled. "He likes to have some while he plots to get you-oops."
"No! No!" Bash groaned, giving himself a facepalm.
Shriek had little time to react because Audrey pulled out her sketchbook and drew a huge gust of wind, making Shriek and Bash fly off the ground. They screamed, giving Audrey the chance to get the boys away from the area.
The demons fell hard and landed with a CRASH!
They completely destroyed the ice cream cart and display. Well, that did not go very well, least to say. However, things are about to get crazier.
After the smoke cleared, Shriek scrambled out as he ran away from Bash. He was clinging to the entrapment ruby, which was open and threatened to pull Shriek in.
"Whoa-ho-ho! Oh! Oh!" Bash cried.
"Close it, Bash!" Shriek shouted.
"I can't! It's stuck!" Bash called, holding onto the gem for dear life, while Shriek screamed in terror.
With the trio, they found themselves in a safe spot gasping for air.
"Sheesh, that was close." Cuphead mentioned.
"Yeah, I can't believe they showed up." Mugman added. "I just hope the ice cream is still decent."
"Yeah, it might be." Audrey sighed. "Let's head another way and get Porkrind's package."
They started heading down the path when Mugman looked back and cried out
"Guys! Watch out!"
They looked and saw the two demon twins flying towards them at full speed.
"Let's blow this ice cream stand!" Cuphead announced.
The trio then runs away, dropping not only their ice cream, but the goggles flung out of Mugman's hand.
"Wait! The goggles!" Mugman cried, as he came to a halt and rushed the other way. He chased after the goggles, which tumbled toward the dynamic duo.
"MUGMAN! NO!" Audrey and Cuphead screamed.
They bolted over as fast as they could. Mugman thankfully picked up the goggles, but not before Cuphead shoved him out of the way, avoiding to get sucked in.
However, Audrey and Cuphead had no time to react, as they felt the strong wind yanked them towards the entrapment gem.
"Oh, no! We're getting pulled iiiinn!" They screamed.
Sure enough, the duo gets sucked in and the ruby clamps shut, falling out of Shriek's hands and onto the ground. Mugman then rushed up to them, shocked they were inside a ruby.
"Oh no! Cuphead?! Miss Audrey?! Oh no this is very bad!" He gasped. "Come on guys, we have to get going!"
Bash had caught his breath before heading over to Shriek who was taunting a terrified Mugman
"They're not going anywhere, Mug-face! Cept' back to the boss! Who knows? Maybe he'll have your brother's head as a wedding gift."
That caused the two demons to laugh evilly as they placed an arm around each other's shoulders.
"Nobody's turning Cuphead into a wedding gift and nobody's marrying Miss Audrey!" Mugman snapped.
He grabbed the gem and started to head out, but Bash grabbed his shirt collar, snatched the entrapment gem and threw him to the side.
"Out of the way, kid!" Bash growled.
Mugman yelped before landing on his side with a THUD.
The duo was more than happy to see that they got Audrey and Cuphead, despite the plan not going as they hopped.
"Oh, I can't wait to see what the boss gives me for bagging that Cup and his bride!" Shriek giggled, rubbing his hands evilly together.
"You?! You couldn't bag groceries! Give 'em to me!" Bash shouted, trying to grab the gem, but his brother began to shove him
"No way! They're mine!"
Mugman groaned and sat up, rubbing his head. He then looked and panicked seeing that now the twins were having a tug-o-war with the gem.
He looked around, trying to see if there was something he could use to stop them. Then he had an idea.
"D'oh, give him here, you idiot! Ugh!" Bash shouted.
"Oh, trying to trip me up with insults, are you? Well, it won't work!" Shriek snapped. "No way I'm giving him up!"
"Yeah, you are!" They heard Mugman shout.
They looked and before they could react-
SMACK!
Mugman released a branch and hit the two hard, making them drop the ruby. Mugman rushed over and grabbed it, frantically pushing it and tugging, trying to find a way to open it.
"Ugh! It's locked! And there's no key hole!" He gasped. "How am I supposed to open it?!"
Just then he heard "You are going to get it, kid!"
"Uh-oh! I'm out of here!" Mugman gasped. He held the ruby and goggles tight and made a run for it
"Hey hey! Bring them back!" Bash shouted, as the two rushed after Mugs
"Yeah, kid! Get back here!" Shriek snapped.
They charged after him and Mugman began to worry about how close they were getting. He then climbed a large tree and began to climb as fast as he could. During that time, his foot kept pushing things down, hitting the duo;branches, fruit, acorns and even a beehive, which landed on Shriek's head and slammed into Bash.
They landed hard on the ground and Shriek shoved the beehive off his head… and the two were swarmed by angry bees, as they screamed in pain.
Mugman then hopped from the tree and ran off, vanishing from their sight. Once the bees were gone, the two groaned, bruised and banged up from that.
They thought the worst was over, but it was getting started.
Just then, they felt a small vibration and a small light blinked a few times. They looked and saw it was the small mirror their boss gave them, indicating he wanted to talk to them.
Yeah, it got worse.
"It's the boss!" Bash cried.
"Oh, we're in big trouble!" Shriek whimpered. "Uh, let's pretend nobody's home!"
"You don't have to pretend, stupid." Bash informed him, hitting his brother's head with his fist. "Nobody is home! Now pick up the reflective mirror!"
Shriek gulped and tapped the mirror. The glass began to ripple a bit until it came into view of the boss.
"Alright, you two. I-oh gosh!" He gasped. "You two are so close! Move back! It's bad enough to see you from a distance, let alone up close."
"Oh sorry, boss." They replied.
They moved it back until he could see them better.
"Ok, now, what's going on? Have you caught that Cup and my queen yet?" He asked. The two looked at each other in concern.
The thing was the ruby did work, but without it, they couldn't actually hand them over to him. And that was going to create issues.
"You'll be turned to coats if you don't answer me this instant!" He snapped, interrupting their train of thought.
Shriek quickly muffled the mirror with his hand and panicked, trying to come up with something.
Turning to his brother he claimed.
"It's for you."
Bash took the mirror and before he could say hello, The devil shouted.
"Bimbos! Answer me! Where are you? Have you captured that Cup!? What are you doing?!
"Well, boss, goes something like this…"
While Bash and Shriek had to tell their boss the bad news, meanwhile, Mugman panted heavily as he stopped on a hill. There was a small pile of stones together, tied up with
He gasped and caught his breath, his legs feeling like jello.
"Man, I know I love to run around, but being in fear is not a good idea." He sighed. He pulled out the ruby once more and tried to open it. It was still stuck and no matter what he did, it wouldn't open.
"Ugh! Why won't it unlock!?" He grunted. "There's no key hole or anything. Oh man something tells me the Devil has the answer to opening it, and I don't want to make any deals for him. Wish I could go see Quadratus but I'm a bit far…"
Suddenly, he heard the sound of footprints quickly approach him. He turned and saw that Bash and Shriek caught up and where running up the hill after him
"Oh, no! Demons! I gotta go!" Mugman gasped.
He slipped the ruby in his pocket and began to run just as the two demons reached the top.
"There he is!" Bash called. "Give it up, kid!"
"No way!" Mugman cried.
As Mugman raced away, his leg bumped the side of the stones, which caused them to shake. It shook badly that the rope snapped, causing them to roll towards the demonic twins.
"Whoa-ho-ho-ho-ho!" They screamed, running away, but were rolled over, flattening them.
"Whoops!" Mugman gasped. "Didn't mean to do that."
He continued to run down the hill and spotted an old castle, with two small towers near it. Thinking fast, he rushed over to the palace and ran through the door.
He found himself in the main entrance, greeted by a huge room with a wide large staircase, with a chandelier that was covered in cobwebs, cracked podiums to the side, the color on the rug was completely faded as well as the walls and tile, paintings that were covered head to toe in dust and the torches on the walls were burnt out.
"Wow, this castle is huge." he gasped, his voice echoing through the walls. "I've only seen castles from story books and art galleries but never in real life. Wonder what Porkrind wants here…"
Just then he heard a door open from another area and heard Bash announced to Shriek
"Let's start searching! He's got to be around here!"
Panicking, Mugman raced upstairs and down a pathway and found another stairway leading upward. He headed that way and saw many doors leading to other rooms.
He took one of them and ended up in what seemed to be a weapon room filled with medieval equipment; hammers, swords, shields, staffs, axes, knives, and even cannon balls.
Not wanting to waste more time He slammed the door shut and blocked it with a chair and a few furniture items. He then looked out the small window at the door and saw Bash and Shriek run down the hallway, completely avoiding the room.
Mugs slumped down and sighed. "Whew! That was a close one."
He pulled out the ruby again and began to examine it. It had such fascinating detail and the chain looked like it was forged in lava. It was amazing to gaze upon and study its designs, but the main thing that was making him frustrated was getting Audrey and Cuphead out.
"There's got to be a way where I can open it." He sighed. "I can't be on the run forever. If I go home, they might hurt Elder Kettle. Oh man what am I gonna do?"
Just then he heard
*SLAM!*
That caused the place to shake and for him to lose his balance.
"Whoa! What's going on?!" He gasped.
He rushed to the window that was far from the door and looked out. He then saw Bash and Shriek holding a huge log, trying to break down one of the doors that lead into the castle.
"Look at that log! Now they'll get in for sure!" He gasped.
He saw them pull back and run, banging on the door. It was so violent that the place shook more, making things fall over and hit the ground. Mugman grabbed the ruby and rushed under a table, panting.
"Sure wish you could talk to me, guys.." He sighed.
Just then, when the place shook once more, a suit of armor fell over and landed in front of Mugman. He often read in stories how knights fought against dragons and battled others in competition and games, and wondered if he could be brave like them.
Just then, a thought came to him.
"Maybe, it just might work!" He beamed.
He placed the gem in his pocket and scooted from under the table, grabbing the armor pieces.
With the dynamic duo, they backed up once more and charged at the door. This time they busted them open and rammed right in. However, because they ran so fast and hard, it was difficult for them to slow down and stop.
"Stop! Bash, stop!" Shriek cried out.
They then hit a large piece of furniture, causing them to fling over and fly into a wall
"Yeow-how-how!" They screamed.
*WHAM!*
They slid down the wall and groaned. It was bad enough having to deal with one annoying cup, but trying to get his brother might be a bit of a challenge.
"Oooowwww…my head." Bash grunted. "I think I broke something."
"You're telling me." Shriek added. "I think something snapped."
As they got up and made sure everything was ok, suddenly, they heard the sound of clanking footsteps approach them.
They looked and saw a knight in shining armor (literally) come towards them with a sword in his hands.
"Halt! Who dares enter the royal castle of his majesty the king!? Thy shall have their heads removed for trespassing!"
"T-trespassing!?" Shriek cried. "Please don't hurt us! We-we were only looking for someone!"
"Y-yeah! We-we need him because he has something-" Bash started but the knight interrupted him.
"Silence! Ye should have stayed far away from this sacred place. Therefore, since thou have not listen to thee, thou must be casted out or off with thy-"
Just then, the knight tripped on a loose section of the rug and fell, landing on his stomach. They winced and were a bit surprised to see him struggling to get up.
"Erm, sir Knight? You ok?" Bash asked.
"Yeah. Here let us help you." Shriek mentioned.
"No no. I am well." The knight assured them. "'Tis but a scratch."
As the knight stood up and regained his focus, Bash looked and saw that he looked a bit shorter, with brown shoes and…blue shorts.
"Now, where was I? Oh yes." He then drew out his sword pointing it towards them. "Now, leave unless you want to face the strength and power of my mighty-
Before he could finish, Bash came from behind and grabbed the knight's collar and lifted him from the ground.
"Bash! He's a knight!" Shriek reminded him.
"Ever see a knight with blue shorts?!" Bash mentioned, gesturing to the shorts.
He flicks the helmet off to reveal Mugman, who had a nervous grin on his face.
"Heh heh, uh, hi there." Mugman sheepishly replied, as Shriek gave a gasp.
"The mug-kid! I knew that."
"You did not! Without me, you don't know anything!" Bash snapped. "This is why mom never hired a babysitter!"
As Bash argued with Shriek, Mugman grunted a bit as he struggled to get out of the armor. Thankfully, he managed to get out and without missing a beat, ran away, which got the attention of the two demons.
"Hey, come back here, you pest!"
They rushed after him, but failed to see him go into another room as they passed by. Mugman peeked through the window of the door to see how far they were.
"Dang it. I thought it would work." He muttered.
Just then he heard
"Okay, you little creep! Give up, before we have to do something real bad to you!" Shriek called out.
Mugman panicked as he saw them come back and ducked down from the door window. He hugged his knees together, praying they wouldn't open the door.
"We'll find ya! Even if we have to search every inch of this place!" Shriek additionally warned.
Ok, that in reality will take months to do! Plus the episode is ending pretty soon and this is not going to be a two parter, as you all saw the title of this chapter.
Annoyed, Bash slapped the back of his brother's head and informed him
"I got a better idea! Come here!" He pulled his brother aside and Mugman groaned in defeat.
"It's hopeless! I can't protect myself and the guys. Oh man, why did I think I could do this? I'm not brave at all. I'm just scared little Mugman…"
He rubbed the back of his neck and drooped his arm, when he heard something fall behind him. He looked and saw that he still had Cuphead's goggles from earlier.
He looked at them and sighed sadly. "I wish I could be like Dirk Dangerous. He wouldn't be scared…"
Just then he remembered what Cuphead told him when he gave him the goggles.
"Whenever I need a little extra confidence, I slap on these Dirk Dangerous goggles. I'm infused with confidence and bravery!"
"Confidence and bravery…" Mugman repeated.
He slipped the goggles on and looked at himself in the mirror. He wasn't sure why but for some reason he began feeling a sense of power. One that began to boost his confidence through the roof. He began to imagine himself as Dirk Dangerous, facing evil doers and conquering evil.
A heroic smile came on his face, as he looked at the ruby and then at the mirror.
"Might wanna hang on tight you guys." He announced. He placed the ruby in his pocket and headed out the door.
"I'm feeling a little...dangerous."
After heading out, he carefully scanned the area for the demonic twins. They weren't in sight, but he wanted to find them to see what they were planning. Even though they weren't the smartest tools in the shed, they were very persistent.
"They have to be around here somewhere…" He trailed off.
Just then, he heard voices coming from one of the hallways. He looked and low and behold Bash and Shriek were arguing about what to do.
"We can't just leave! We have to deliver the boss his package!" Bash mentioned. "If we do, he'll get mad!"
"Well, yeah, but he's really smart." Shriek mentioned. "He's not dumb, just scared. Maybe we can strike a deal?"
"He ain't like his brother! He's more mature and more cautious. There has to be something we can do…"
Bash pondered and then had an idea.
"Although, if memory serves me right, he enjoys a hot beverage and never turns it down from anyone. Here's my plan; we make a drink for him, and leave it in the main hallway. We'll also have a note saying we're sorry and when he takes a drink, he'll get sick and we'll steal the ruby."
"I like it!" Shriek smiled. "So what kind of beverage should we give him?"
"Let's make some tea." Bash answered. "Can't go wrong with that."
The two chuckled evilly and Mugman slipped away.
"So, those two think they can add something in my tea, huh? Well, sorry to say boys, but my cup of tea is justice."
He decided to wait a bit until they were ready, so he passed by the rooms, trying to come up with a plan. He looked around and saw the many statues, suits of armor, the rug and the chandelier.
Upon further inspection of the chandelier, he noticed that there was a long rope connected to it, while a heavy sandbag held it in place. He thought that would be helpful and decided to keep it in mind for later.
After a bit, he headed back to the main hallway and saw a nice cup of tea on a tray along with a tea pot and note on one of the tables.
He made his way to it, while Bash and Shriek waited in a room nearby.
"Oh, man. This is going to be good!" Bash giggled. "Once that fool gets sick, we can steal the ruby and head to the boss."
"Yeah, and we might get invited to the wedding." Shriek nodded. "Maybe some of his groomsmen."
They pressed their ears to the door and waited. With Mugman he approached the tray and picked up the note.
"Mugman, we are sorry for how we are behaving." Mugman read aloud. "Please have this complimentary tea as an apology and in hopes we can be friends. Yours truly., Bash and Shriek. Huh. They really went all out for this. Oh well. I am feeling a bit parched."
Bash and Shriek waited, hoping to come out at the right time. Just then they heard a tea cup shatter and Mugman moan in pain.
"Ugh! Ah! It's making me sick! Oh the pain! The unbearable pain!" There was more groaning and then they heard a thump on the ground.
"Yes! We got him!" Bash beamed. "Let's get it!"
The two rushed out, eager to get the ruby when-
*SPLASH!*
Mugman threw the hot tea in their face, causing them to scream in pain.
"Sorry, but you'll have to do a lot more to get me." Mugman smirked.
With that, he ran off and the demons groaned in pain.
"Ow! Ow! Ow! Ugh that creep! He tricked us!" Bash growled. "Come on! Let's get him!"
They brushed off the pain and bolted after him. He wasn't super far, but not close enough to catch. They chased him down the hallway and down to the main hallway once more.
"You think you're real smart, don't you, mug-face?" Bash called out.
"I don't think so, I know so!" Mugman replied. "I'm not pulling your leg, but I am pulling the rug from underneath ya!"
He slid down the handrail of the stairway, flipped off and when the two stepped off the stairs, Mugman pulled the rug and yanked it hard, flinging them off and get flown in the air, and back towards the wall, hitting it and caused the iron torch to fall and land on their heads.
"Ooh. That's gotta smart." Mugman winced.
They got up, rubbed their heads and ran after him. Mugman then raced to a podium, and grabbed a dangling rope from the ceiling. He jumped and held on, swinging hard and slammed right into the two, knocking them back and hitting a few suits of armor, which caused the helmets to land on their heads.
They groaned in pain, as Mugman confidently approached them with a smirk on his face.
"You guys give up?" He cooly asked.
They lifted the visor from their faces and answered
"No!"
"Don't say I didn't warn you!" Mugman warned them, rubbing his nose confidently.
They threw off the helmets and bolted after him, chasing him into a corner. As they got closer, Mugman grabbed another rope, cut it with a small staff he found and was pulled up.
"Going up!" He giggled.
They looked up and screamed as the chandelier came falling down, landing with a CRASH! on them. They groaned as they pushed the chandelier off them, now looking more banged up than before.
Mugman dropped to the floor landing safely and grinned as he looked over the balcony.
"You guys give up?" He asked again.
"D'oh! Never!" Bash shouted
"You'll be sorry!" Mugman taunted, as he vanished down the hallway.
The two groaned as they laid on the ground defeated.
"What now?" Shriek asked. "We need that ruby or we're in trouble."
"Well, the good thing is he doesn't know how to open it." Bash mentioned. "Let's just be thankful for that."
They got up, dusted themselves and began to plot once more.
Meanwhile back in the underworld, the Devil reached for his white top hat as he was now wearing his white suit and tailcoat along with white spats, and a red bow tie.
He grabbed his top hot, turned around and placed it on. He took a deep breath as the lights flashed on a romantic orange and red with a spotlight shown on him and began to recite.
"My darling sweet Audrey, from the moment I saw you, you made even Hell burst open. Your cheeks are like cherry blossoms, your eyes dark and mysterious like the night sky, and your smile bright as a full moon...and now I must ask you…"
He then bent on one knee and pulled out the ring, his eyes gleaming with hope and love.
"Audrey Susan Anderson, I'll tell thee as we pass, but this I pray; that thou consent to marry me today..."
Henchman, who was sitting on a comfy chair, wearing a strawberry blonde wig and a blue dress that was way to tight for him, replied in a somewhat high pitched voice
"Oh, Devil! Yes! I will marry you!"
The lights then flashed back to normal and the Devil who broke character, asked Henchman. "So how'd I do?"
"Oh it was great! Loved that quote!" Henchman beamed. "Was that from…oh don't tell me…Romeo and Juliet?
"You got it!" The Devil beamed. "Glad to hear it was good."
"It was great! Good way to say how you felt and then really brought it in with that!" Henchman claimed. "She'll love it!
"After many millennia, I still got it…" The Devil chuckled.
As the two began to chat more about the proposal, not to mention Henchman giving him tons of praises, the door opened and an imp entered the room.
"Excuse me, boss-" He started but the Devil roared at him.
"WHAT?!"
"Erm, well, we got word from our spies." the imp replied. "The good news is the ruby did work and your bride and Cuphead are trapped. However, they were also right that Mugman, his little brother, stole the ruby and is currently keeping it from them."
"Ugh, those bimbos are having a hard time with the meek mug?" The Devil groaned. "They better get me those two or I will tear them limb from limb! I must have my bride and that cup!"
"..Head." Henchman chimed in.
"Thank you, Henchman." The Devil growled.
With Mugman, he was pretty pumped after setting off those traps, as he returned to his hiding spot.
"Oh man. That was awesome." He smiled. "Those two should have seen the look on their faces."
Then he took a sigh as he looked at the gem. "The only thing that's bugging me is it still doesn't get me any closer to setting them free. I need to know how to do it. Hmmm…maybe I can trick them. But how…"
He looked around the room and saw an old mannequin, clothes and a large bucket. At first, he wasn't sure what he would do with them, but then, he got an idea.
A few minutes later, the two demons were scanning the room with a butterfly net and a hammer, walking slowly and carefully.
"Mugman, where are you?" Bash called in a sing-song tone. "Come out, come out wherever you are."
"Yeah, we won't hurt ya." Shriek added. "We, uh, we got ice cream!"
"Ice cream? Really?" Bash asked.
"What? He likes it." Shriek mentioned.
Just then they heard a small crash from afar and decided to investigate it. They carefully walked towards that direction and saw Mugman walking towards them, hands up wide, with the exception of the ruby in his right hand.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Bash cried. "So, you thought you could get away huh? Well, it'll take more than that to stop us!"
"Yeah! Splash tea in our face, pull the rug from under us, drop a chandelier on our heads, but you won't crush our spirits!" Shriek announced. To his brother, he asked "Good, right?"
"For you." Bash claimed. To Mugman, he asked "Also, what's with the goggles?"
"Oh, uh, something I got earlier." Mugman claimed. "Look, I came here to tell you…here you go."
He then threw the ruby underhand to them and Bash caught it with both hands. He looked at the mug really confused. He was grateful that he was handing it over, because that was basically the whole point of their chase, but he was handing it over to them willingly.
"Well, I gotta say, this is pretty nice of you to give it back, but, why? You protected this thing like your life depended on it." Bash mentioned. "I still got bruises from the branch that hit me."
"Well, I know I protected it, but I actually managed to open it and got them out." Mugman shrugged.
"You what?!" Both gasped.
"No! There's no way you could have opened it!" Bash cried. "It-it was complicated and we had to do it a few times to make sure we got it!"
"Yeah! I got stuck in there a few times." Shriek claimed.
"I mean, I know it was a bit hard at first, but I thought if I just thought more simply, I would figure it out." Mugman replied. "I did and I freed them."
"I don't believe it!" Bash retorted.
"Oh? Take a look." Mugman then gestured to the side and to their surprise, it was them. They were just off to the side, near one of the entrances to the hallway.
"No! No! That can't be them!" Bash cried.
"Yeah! If it was them, then I could open this up and they won't come out!" Shriek retorted.
"Prove it." Mugman beamed.
"I will!"
Shriek then waved his hand over the ruby and it opened. Almost an instant, Audrey and Cuphead came out of the ruby landing on their feet, feeling dizzy.
"Ugh, my head." Cuphead groaned. "Please make the world stop."
"Man, that was crazy." Audrey moaned.
"Oh no!" Shriek gasped. "But how are they?"
"You idiot! He tricked you!" Bash shouted.
Mugman rushed over and hugged his friends. "You feel okay, guys?" He asked.
"Oh, I feel great, Mugsy!" Cuphead claimed, hugging his brother. "What's happening?
"Man that was crazy." Audrey chimed in. "Felt like I was tossed around like a salad."
"The demon twins trapped you both in the entrapment ruby." Mugman explained. "I ran all the way here, but it took me a while to get you out."
"Oh, Mugsy, you are so brave!" Audrey sighed, hugging him. "I'm so proud of you."
"Yeah, and those goggles look amazing on you!" Cuphead beamed. "You look so confident!"
"Yeah, I feel really good!" Mugman giggled.
As the trio laughed and hugged, Bash grabbed his brother's throat and began to strangle him, much like how Homer Simpson does to Bart, when he does or says something stupid.
"You moron! We were so close! You just had to let them out!"
Once Bash finished his strangling, he took a breath, and realized he wasn't holding onto the entrapment ruby. He frantically looked for it…only to realize that Mugman was holding onto it, with a mischievous grin.
Both demons swallowed hard.
They knew what was coming next.
A few hours later, The Devil was going over some food meal ideas for the wedding when suddenly, Henchman came in with something small in his hands.
"D'uh boss. This came for you." He announced.
He handed it to his boss and sure enough, it was the entrapment ruby. However, seeing that his minions were not around, he had an idea what went down.
He moved his claw over the gem, opening it up, and low and behold, Bash and Shriek came out and were covered head to toe in bruises.
They shook the dizzy feeling off and saw they were in the underworld and face to face with a very angry boss.
"Whoa whoa! Boss, look! We had them! We had them but-" Bash started but the Devil roared
"YOU BIMBOS! YOU HAD THEM RIGHT THERE AND YOU LET THEM SLIP BY!"
"Boss! Wait! You gotta understand!" Bash cried, as he nervously saw flames arose from his employer. "We had them! It was that Mug-kid that stopped us!"
"I don't want to hear excuses." The Devil growled, coming towards them. "I want to see RESULTS!"
With that, he began to chase them around the throne room, shooting fire and other beams at them, as they screamed in terror.
Just then, King Dice came into the room and was about to ask The Devil something but saw the chase and heard the screams.
"Erm, ya know, ya look busy." He nervously chuckled. "I'll check back later."
He slipped out as the Devil hunted down his minions.
Back on the surface, Porkrind was sitting at the counter, writing in something and looked over at the Dirk Dangerous pinball machine, which was now covered in cobwebs.
Since the boys have been gone, it's been pretty quiet, and he enjoyed it.
Just then the door slammed open and the boys and Audrey entered, holding a large brown chest in their hands.
"Here's your delicate package, my good sir." Mugman beamed, placing the chest on the counter.
"Where have you guys been?" Porkrind asked. "You were gone for three days."
"Well, what do you expect?" Cuphead asked, annoyed, holding the paper Porkrind gave them previously. "You sent us to Sparrinton Castle."
"Yeah, not really a hop, skip and a boat ride." Audrey mentioned.
"Not the Sparrington Castle." Porkind argued, taking the slip of paper. "Sparrington Castle Cleaners!" He flipped the paper on the other side, showing the same logo as before but had some clothes and bubbles with the caption of "A royal treatment for your clothes".
"'Sparrington Castle Cleaners'?" Both brothers replied simultaneously. "Oh! Oh, well."
"Guess that would make sense." Audrey shrugged. "Eh, it was still cool to see the castle."
"I guess there's only one thing left to do, then." Cuphead announced. "Time to break my high score!"
He was about to head to the pinball machine when Mugman grabbed his arm stopping him.
"Uh, Cuphead?"
"What is it, Mugsy?" Cuphead asked.
"I'm feeling a little... dangerous." He announced confidently. They approached the pinball machine, with Cuphead now holding a nickel for Mugman.
"Nickel me." Mugs instructed Cups. He handed him the coin and was about to put it in the slot when Porkrind shouted
"Oh, no, you don't!" To their surprise, he tore the pinball machine from the wall of his shop and shoved it in their hands. "Here! Take it! And get out!"
They were a bit surprised by this at first, but then seeing that they can play all they wanted to without making the trip over, they rushed out and giggled with delight as Mugman called out
"Thank you, Porkrind!"
Audrey had to laugh. They were sure cute when they were excited. She then headed out and followed them home. It was a bit crazy the last few days, but she was more than happy to see a new spark of courage in Mugman.
"I just hope he has enough bravery to face people like the Devil." She pondered. "I would hate for them to get into serious trouble, but for now, I think I'll enjoy his new courage."
Back with Porkrind, he returned to the back of the counter, grumbling
"Fricking, fracking, lousy cups."
He then looked at the chest and a thought came to him. "Wait. If this ain't my laundry, what the heck is it?"
He opened up the chest and saw various baby toys in there; rattles, bottles, shakers, and other toys babies find amusing.
"Baby toys? Aw, cute." Porkrind smirked. He figured he could sell them for some cash and let some other person have it for all he cared.
Just then, the roof was ripped off of the Emporium and revealed to be none other than Grim Matchstick, while his three headed baby was riding on his back.
"Uh-oh." Porkrind gulped.
The dragon then took the chest with his tail and before he left, he
breathed fire onto the shop, which was burnt to a crisp. Grim nodded in a huff and then departed.
When the fire subsided, Porkrind was somehow still standing despite his shop being destroyed and he looked like an over-toasted marshmallow. He gave a groan.
"I hate those cups."
Well, that was really crazy! glad Mugman got a spark of courage and rescued his brother and Audrey. Hopefully we can see more heroics from Mugman in the future. Next time, we will be having our first two-parter! I'm super excited and I can't wait for you to 'toon' in!
As always, thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave a review but let's avoid the flames please :D
