Many Years Ago...
In the Underworld, there was a grand opera room where The Devil would sing, dance, and occasionally act for an audience of his devil imps, Henchman, and his son, Bendy.
The opera room had purple rock walls, gold pillars, red and purple curtains, and several lights.
Now that the prince had outgrown his toddler years, the demon king decided it was time to teach his son how to perform on the stage. Dancing, singing, acting, and so on.
One day, Bendy was taking acting lessons.
"And thus I clothe my naked villainy. With odd old ends stol'n—"
"Project son! I can barely hear you." The Devil said from the back of the seats.
"Maybe you'd hear me if you were a little closer!" Bendy yelled.
"I'll get closer when I know you can project. Remember son, it's about throwing your voice across the room so that even those in the back can hear without you needing to shout. Now let's hear it."
Bendy cleared his throat.
"And thus I clothe my naked villainy with odd old ends stol'n out of holy writ; And seem a saint, when most I play the devil,"
Bendy paused... And The Devil slammed down his pitchfork before appearing in the front row.
"Much better," The Devil said.
Bendy sighed before he smiled.
Present...
On the stage in the Underworld theatre, The Devil was wearing a poofy, old-fashioned, purple costume while singing "La donna è mobile" and he held the final note while shaking his fist before falling on his back.
Bendy and Henchman applauded.
"Woohoo!" Bendy cheered.
"Bravo! Encore!" Henchman cheered.
There were about two dozen devil imps in the audience... snoring and wearing classes with open eyes painted on them.
"Way to go Dad!" Bendy cheered.
"Yes! That's my boss!" Henchman cheered.
Sitting next to Henchman was Demon 956, who snorted awake when his glasses fell off. Then he went back to sleep and resumed his snoring.
Henchman shuddered when he saw The Devil notice the sleeping imps.
Bendy shifted uncomfortably before he took out a trumpet from his pocket and blew it loudly, waking the imps.
When they saw the big devil glare at them, the imps started to clap.
"SAVE IT!" The Devil yelled loudly, enough to shake the room and the imps froze. "Don't any of you appreciate the theater?"
"I appreciated the nap." Said Demon 107 before he laughed. In a flash, he was burnt to ashes by The Devil's pitchfork.
"I am tired of being unappreciated by you cultural numbskulls." The Devil said. "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves because today's performance... shall be my last."
After a moment or two, the devil imps started applauding with approval. Henchman shuddered while Bendy pinched his brow and shook his head.
"Oh! Hmph." The Devil grunted before he slammed down his pitchfork and disappeared.
Bendy sighed before he looked at his wristwatch and gasped. He dashed out of his seat and ran out of the room.
Meanwhile, The Devil went to the office room by the Torture Room. He groaned.
"Surely someone somewhere must appreciate what I have to offer." The Devil said before he pushed the button on the hot coffee machine. "I deserve an audience. I deserve to be adored."
The paper cup from the dispenser landed brim down and the coffee spilled over.
The big devil shot a fireball at the coffee machine, destroying it. He walked away with a groan before he noticed a small figure run past the doorway.
Bendy ran past the office before reaching the Throne Room. He held a flyer against his chest as he walked to the elevator. But before he could reach the door—
"Going somewhere?" came a voice behind Bendy.
Bendy gasped and turned around.
The Devil stood there with his hands on his hips.
"Dad... I was just— gonna go out." Bendy said.
"And in your cat disguise." The Devil said.
"Yes," Bendy said. "Since your performs was over, I thought I'd head up."
"Mmhmm. Where?"
"Um, the city. Nowhere in particular, just me out on the—"
"What's on that paper?" The Devil interjected. "The one you're pressing against your chest."
The little devil crumbled the paper up, rubbed it between his hands, and then showed his empty hands.
"What paper?" Bendy asked.
The Devil cracked his knuckles before proceeding to tickle Bendy. The little devil yelped before he laughed and tried to escape.
"Where's the paper son?" The Devil asked calmly.
Bendy just kept laughing and kicked around.
"I'm sorry Bendall, maybe you couldn't hear me over your laughter, but I said where's the paper?" The Devil said calmly but directly.
Bendy reached up behind his father's pointy ear and pulled out the crumbled paper.
The Devil took it after he stopped tickling Bendy and started to fix the paper while his son gasped for air on the ground.
"you... jerk," Bendy wheezed.
The Devil looked at the straightened paper and realized it was a flier for a play. There was a drawing of a space hero with a cup for a head and he was flying through space with a jetpack.
"Cup Rogers vs. The Meteor. A New Space Opera. Auditions Open! Inkwell Isle Community Center. Today!"
"Are you going to this?" The Devil asked.
"Yes," Bendy said as he got back on his feet. "I thought I'd go see it."
"Are you auditioning?" The Devil asked.
"Oh, come on Dad. You know it's been years since I've acted on a stage..."
"You've sung and danced though."
"Yes. But not acting. I thought I'd just watch."
He sighed through his nose sadly.
"Fine. But I'll take you to the center myself,"
"Oh...? Okay. Thank you, Dad,"
"And I'm staying for the auditions!"
"Uhhh! Why?" Bendy asked with a strain in his voice.
"Because I'm going to audition myself so I can get the starring role."
"B-but back at the theatre, you said—"
"Oh come now son, you know as well as anyone here that I'm never going to stop performing on a stage."
Bendy opened his mouth to argue. "Yeah, that's true." He said.
"It'll be fun, and I can use a fresh audience."
"Um, okay, Dad. Whatever floats your boat."
The Devil smiled widely. "Oh! This is going to be great! I'll be a star! Cup Rogers is the role..."
"I was born to play!" Mugman said.
Back in Inkwell City, Cuphead and Mugman were waiting in line, outside the Inkwell Community Center.
The cup was idly playing with his yo-yo.
"That's right, Cuphead." Mugman said, "Today's the day. The first stop on the road to Mugman's stage debut!"
"Oh yeah? What about your stage fright?" Cuphead asked.
"Oh, I have a little trick for that," Mugman said.
The doors to the center slam open.
"Ooh! It's time." Mugman said. He dragged his brother behind him as he and the others in line walked inside.
At least two dozen people entered the center. While the people were finding seats, The Devil, Bendy, and Henchman appeared in a puff of smoke in the back row. Bendy was no longer wearing his disguise.
"Ah. Just look at these amateurs," The Devil said. "That lead role is mine."
BANG BANG BANG
There came a banging sound on one of the doors marked 'exit' and it startled everyone. The door swung open, and Sally Stageplay stepped in. She was snarling, her eyes red, her eyelids twitched, and she was foaming at the mouth. She crawled towards the stage.
Everyone gasped at the sight.
Sally stood on stage, growling and snarling.
Everyone, except for Cuphead, looked concerned and confused.
Sally cackled.
"That is Sally Stageplay?" The Devil asked.
"It looks like her," Bendy answered.
"What on earth is wrong with her?" The Devil asked.
"She's got rabies!" Telephone exclaimed.
"Yes! Yes!" Sally answered with a snarl before suddenly talking in her normal voice. "No!"
The crowd gasped before some chuckled and murmured.
"Then why are you foaming at the mouth? Why?" Telephone asked.
"Because..." Sally said before wiping the foam off her mouth. "acting!"
The crowd looked in awe.
"Welcome to the theater!" Sally announced proudly.
The crowd applauded and cheered.
"Wait. So acting is just lying?" Cuphead wondered. "Wow! Turns out I've been acting my whole life. I should get in on this."
"I, Sally Stageplay, your brave, fearless, humble director, have gathered you here to cast the theatrical masterpiece that is Cup Rogers vs. The Meteor!" the woman said. "First up, Cup Rogers."
"That's the part I want!" said both Mugman and The Devil.
"And the role of the evil Catman." Sally continued.
"I don't want that part." The Devil said dismissively.
"Uh, but what if you don't get Cup Rogers, boss?" Henchman asked.
The Devil groaned. "Henchman. The way to get the audience to adore you is to play the hero. And I need to be adored!"
"Uh, we adore ya, boss," Henchman said after wrapping his arm around the little devil. They both smile up at the big devil.
"Not you two." The Devil said pushing Henchman away. "I already got your validations. I want to impress the strangers."
"But Dad," Bendy said. "Shouldn't it be more important how well you play the part, not the part itself?"
The Devil scoffed. "What moron told you that?" he said.
"I'll give you a hint. He's tall, hairy, and carries a pitchfork."
The Devil had no response to that.
"Now," Sally said. "the character of Cup Rogers... He's brave, relentless, and kicks bad guy butt! A hero down to the very marrow!"
"To the very marrow," Mugman said admiringly.
"Huh? What was that? What?" Cuphead wondered.
"He jumps through flaming hoops!" Sally said.
"Flaming hoops?" Cuphead asked.
"Dodges death at every turn!" Sally said.
"Dodges death?" Cuphead asked.
"And last, but certainly not least," Sally said. "he flies with a jetpack." She was then lifted by straps attached to the flying harness she was suddenly wearing.
Cuphead squealed and his teeth chattered.
"Cup Rogers is the most daring role in the history of the stage," Sally said before being pulled away on the harness.
The cup fainted before suddenly sitting up again.
"Well, that settles it." Cuphead said, "Cup Rogers is the role I was born to play!"
Cuphead ran up the stairs to the backstage meanwhile, Mugman gasped before he sighed sadly.
"This was supposed to be my thing," Mugman said sadly as he walked backstage with his head hung low.
In the backstage, people were reading the script, performing vocal warm-up, and practicing the lines.
Cuphead found a fake ray blaster and started running around, making 'pew' sounds with his mouth.
"Some kind of brother you are," Mugman said with his arms crossed.
"Some kind of actor you are," Cuphead said. "Not even up for a little friendly competition?"
The cup swiped the script from the mug and ran.
"Hey! My script!" Mugman exclaimed before running after his brother.
Meanwhile, The Devil was looking over the script. Henchman was sent back to the Underworld but Bendy stayed with his father.
"Bendall? Want to help me work on my lines?" The Devil asked.
Bendy hummed and shrugged.
"You can judge my performance."
Bendy's interest was piqued, and he got on his feet. "Okay!" he said. "Let me hear Cup Rogers."
The Devil hunched over and spoke.
"Not so fast, Catman."
"What the heck is that?" Bendy asked.
"What?"
"Dad, a hero like Cup Rogers does not hunch over like this and speaks in a gravelly voice. He should have a more heroic stance. Now straighten that back! Puff up that chest! Square those shoulders! Furrow that brow!"
The Devil what his son said.
"Now let me hear that hero's voice," Bendy said.
"Not so fast, Catman!" The Devil exclaimed.
"That was—GAH!"
Cuphead accidentally ran and bumped into Bendy. The two boys crashed into The Devil and all three fell back onto the floor.
Cuphead sat up and looked down at Bendy. The light above gave the cup an almost divine look.
"Oh, hi Bendy," Cuphead said.
Bendy's cheeks gave a faint blush. "Hi, Cuphead." He said.
"Where have you been?" Cuphead asked. "Mugman and I were waiting for you in line,"
A throat clearing interrupted the two boys and they realized they were right next to The Devil.
The boys gasped before getting up and separating.
"Bendall," The Devil said as he floated back on his feet.
"Yes, Dad?" Bendy said.
"You knew the cups would be here and they were expecting you?" The Devil questioned.
"Did I forget to mention that?" Bendy said with a strained smile.
The Devil groaned before he pulled his son further away from the cup and closer to him.
"And what are you doing here anyway?" The Devil asked Cuphead. "Gonna be catboy or something?"
Cuphead scoffed. "You're looking at the next Cup Rogers." He said.
The Devil chortled. "Cup Rogers is my role." He said.
"Nope, it's mine."
The Devil leaned down. "Mine!" he said.
"Mine!" Cuphead said going nose to nose with the big devil.
"Mine!"
"Mine!"
Mugman pulled Cuphead back while Bendy pulled The Devil back.
"Would you two stop it?" Mugman said. "Okay. Clearly all four of us wanna play—"
"Three," Bendy interjected. "Not interested. I just want to watch... and judge,"
"Really? Alright." Mugman said. "The three of us wanna play Cup Rogers. But only one of us can. So let's keep it professional and may the best actor win. Agreed? Good."
Bendy gave Cuphead and The Devil a look of warning before walking away with Mugman.
"You're going down." Cuphead and The Devil whispered.
"Let the auditions begin!" Sally announced.
A female hippo in a dress approached the stage and started singing.
Meanwhile, Cuphead walked up to Bendy.
"Hey Bendy," Cuphead whispered. "I'm going after this lady. Since you're not auditioning, you wanna help me with my act?"
"Sure," Bendy whispered.
"Oh no, my son is helping me with my audition." The Devil whispered before he pulled his son back by the arm. "Right, son?"
Cuphead grabbed Bendy's other arm and pulled him, "He can, after he helps me," he said.
"No, he won't," The Devil said.
"Yes, he will," Cuphead said.
They soon engaged in a Bendy tug-o-war.
"Very well done," Sally said. "Next,"
Cuphead eyes shifted a bit. "Um, hey look!" he said pointing away. "A greedy landlord on his deathbed."
The Devil gasped, "Where?" He asked excitedly after he released Bendy.
The cup ran off with the little devil and blew The Devil a raspberry.
When The Devil realized he had been tricked, he got red in the face.
Bendy starts playing "Flight of the Bumblebee" on the piano next to the stage when Cuphead enters.
The cup showed Sally a ladder before making it stretch and create more rungs. Then Cuphead poured water into a small glass cup. He then threw away the pitcher and it shattered. Cuphead then stepped on the standing ladder and started climbing to the top.
Sally and Bendy watched in awe as Cuphead climbed the ladder to the top rung.
Cuphead paused on the top rung for a second before he jumped and dove in a swan dive fashion. His hands aimed for the glass of water.
Just then a purple bubble surrounded the glass and lifted it away within seconds before Cuphead dove. Without the glass, the cup dove straight through the floor.
Bendy stopped playing before Sally shouted.
"Next!"
Behind one of the curtains, The Devil smiled from ear to ear with the glass of water in his hand.
Bendy ran up to his father. "I saw that," he said with his hands on his hips.
"What? He'll be fine." The Devil said. "He's like a roach that way. Anyway, on with the show!"
The big devil slammed down his pitchfork making Bendy and him disappear in a puff of smoke before they reappeared on the now dark stage.
After a drum roll, the lights turned on and pink and blue spotlights swung.
The Devil was now wearing a light pink long-sleeved shirt with the front tied up, sparkling fuchsia pink pants, thigh-high black boots, and a top hat with a matching fuchsia ribbon.
Standing next to The Devil was Bendy.
The little devil was wearing gloves and a bowtie that matched the light pink color, a sparkling fuchsia pink tutu, a smaller top hat with a matching fuchsia ribbon, and black shoes.
The two devils smiled and started dancing to jazz music. The Devil slammed down his pitchfork and summoned multiple devil imps to dance in the background.
The Devil jumped and twirled and landed in a perfect split. A three-tier platform rose under him.
Sally watched the dance in amazement.
The Devil danced on the top platform while Bendy hopped off and slid on a slide around the platform while Devil Imps danced on the other tiers.
Bendy jumped at the end of the slide, twirled in the air, and slid on the stage before posing in a third arabesque pose.
The Devil flashed a smile before sliding down the slide and twirled in the air. But as he was about to slide on stage, he lost his footing on the oil on the floor.
"Whoa! Oh no! Whoa!" The Devil exclaimed as he slipped and slid off the stage.
Behind a curtain, Cuphead stood holding an oil can.
"Whoopsies," Cuphead said feigning innocence before he smirked.
The Devil, now covered in oil, frowned.
Sally, who was also now covered in oil, frowned.
"Next!" The woman shouted.
The Devil wiped away the last of the oil off his face with a towel. Bendy and Cuphead stood next to him.
"Stupid cup." The big devil said.
"You started it with the glass," Bendy said.
"He started it when he took you away from me,"
"Dad, no one's taking me away from you, calm down,"
"I will not calm down. Thanks to him we're now both out of the running." The Devil said before he crossed his arms and frowned.
"Eh, I ain't too worried about Mugman. He's got..." Cuphead said before he whispered. "...stage fright."
Mugman walked up behind them. "That may be true. But, if you recall, I have a little trick for that." he said with a 'hmph!' before walking away.
"Break a leg, Mugsy," Bendy said. "Now that you two are out, let's go watch Mugman from the audience." He grabbed Cuphead's and The Devil's hands and tried to walk them to the seats.
The Devil looked up, smiled, and then pulled his hand away from Bendy's.
"Actually, I have to go... use the restroom!" The Devil said before running away. "Be right back."
Cuphead looked up, smiled, and then pulled his hand away from Bendy's.
"You know what I forgot my... house keys!" Cuphead said before running away. "Be right back,"
Bendy hummed suspiciously but went to the audience seats anyway and sat in the second row.
Mugman stood with his back to the audience before the lights came on and he turned around. Mugman was now wearing a blindfold over his eyes.
"Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears," Mugman said dramatically. "I have come but to bury Caesar, not to praise him.
Sally was irritated by the last two failed auditioners, but her frown melted away as she washed Mugman.
"He is... perfect!" Sally exclaimed.
As Mugman continued his audition, Cuphead and The Devil watched from opposite ends of the stage.
"A blindfold? That's his big trick?" Cuphead said.
"I'll never get the part now." The Devil said.
"Well, if I can't be Cup Rogers..." Cuphead said.
"Then no one can." The Devil said with a wicked smile.
Cuphead rushed over to a lever and pulled it down. A hook weight was released, and it swung towards Mugman.
The Devil rushed over to a lever and pulled it down. A hook weight was released, and it swung towards Mugman.
"...my friend, faithful and just," Mugman concluded and bowed.
The weights swung over him and passed each other.
"Ha!" The Devil exclaimed before he got hit by Cuphead's hook weight. "Oh!"
"Ha!" Cuphead exclaimed before he got hit by The Devil's hook weight. "Oh!"
"Bravo!" Sally said as she stood up and clapped.
Bendy clapped too.
"Ah, thank you." Mugman said after he took off the blindfold, "Did I get the part?"
Just then the hook weights crashed into Mugman along with Cuphead and The Devil. The three landed in a pile together, The Devil grunted, and the brothers groaned before passing out from the pain.
"That is it!" Sally yelled. The woman grunted as she climbed onto the stage. "You three are an insult to acting and an abomination to the theater." She grabbed The Devil with one hand and Cuphead and Mugman's handles with the other.
Sally kicked the three out of the theatre and into the garbage. The woman went back to her seat in a huff.
Bendy, meanwhile, was still in his seat.
"Next!" Sally shouted.
Bowlboy entered the stage and cleared his throat.
The little devil rolled his eyes seeing the bowl.
"This life, which-... Um. Oh! Which had been the broom- No! The comb of his virtue and his... wait that ain't right. His uh?"
Bendy felt his eye twitch. "The tomb of his virtue and his honor," he said in a hushed voice.
"Oh, right. Silly Bowl. His honor is but a walking shower; a poor prayer— GAH!"
Bendy shoved the bowl off his feet.
"Is but a walking shadow; a poor player, that struts and frets his hour upon the stage,"
The Devil pulled himself out of the trash can. "Bendall, we're leaving." He said. "Bendall?" he looked around but didn't see his son. "Where is he?" he slammed down his pitchfork and reappeared in the theatre. He found his son on the stage, quoting/yelling at a bowl child.
"It is a tale told by an idiot!" Bendy shouted.
Bowlboy ran away.
"Full of sound and fury, signifying nothing," Bendy concluded.
Sally clapped enthusiastically. "Bravo! Bravo!" she said.
"Huh?" Bendy said after snapping back to reality.
"The passion, the drive, the fact that you actually remembered the quote," Sally said as she walked to the stage. "I also saw your skills on the piano and how well you danced earlier. You are clearly very talented. How would you like a part in the upcoming space opera?"
"Oh! I— um," Bendy mumbled. He looked out at the audience seats and spotted his dad.
The Devil felt a pang of jealousy for a second but when he locked eyes with his son, he realized he couldn't discourage him. He smiled encouragingly, nodded yes, and gave him two thumbs up.
Bendy smiled. "I would. But... can I choose the part?" he asked.
A few nights later...
The community theatre was packed with people arriving at the opening night show of 'Cup Rogers Vs. The Meteor'.
The crowd applauded as the curtain rose revealing the stage with a space setting. The door opened on the spaceship on stage. Sally Stageplay stepped out wearing a Cup Rogers costume.
"Do not fear. Cup Rogers shall save the day." Sally said. "Not so fast, evil Catman."
Just then a machine that looked like a ray blaster with a seat was wheeled in.
Bendy was in the seat. He was wearing a black and white catsuit with a red bowtie, a painted cat nose, and a mustache. The kitten chuckled.
"Nice try, Cup Rogers," Bendy said with a gravelly voice. "but you are too late. I've already launched my meteor." The little devil smiled smugly as a fake meteor was being pulled across the stage overhead.
The audience gasped and applauded.
There were many people in the audience and there in the front row was The Devil in his goat disguise.
"So amazing!" said the hippo in fancy clothes.
"The cat kid is really good." Said a cupcake man.
"Yeah, whoever taught him how to act must be a real genius," said the black and white rabbit.
"Oh," The Devil gasped. His eyes welled up with tears. "The strangers, they adore me." He said. But what secretly pleased him most was that his son wasn't scared of acting on stage now.
After the curtain drew closed, Bendy went to Cuphead who was now in charge of the curtain rope.
"Great job, buddy, you nailed it," Cuphead said after he handed Bendy a towel.
"Thanks, Cuphead," Bendy said before leaning in and nuzzling the cup's cheek.
Cuphead blushed and smiled.
Bendy pulled back. "Wait, I thought Mugman was the curtain boy, and you were the towel guy,"
"Oh, well, I had to fill in as curtain boy too since Mugman... can't right now,"
Bendy finally noticed Mugman, who was frozen.
"Don't tell me he has stage fright," Bendy said. "He's not even onstage."
"What? You never heard of backstage fright?" Cuphead asked and smiled.
Bendy gave him a deadpan look, walked around Cuphead, twisted up the towel, and snapped the end of it to the cup's backside.
"Ow!"