It's another happy day Inkwell City and Cuphead is at the park with Elder Kettle, Mugman, and Bendy. The sun is shining, flowers are dancing, and the boys are playing baseball while Kettle is sitting on a bench reading the paper. The family goat is tied to a leash next to Kettle. Mugman is pitching while Bendy has the bat and Cuphead is the catcher. Mugman throws the ball, Bendy hits it, and the ball goes flying overhead.
"I got it! I got it!" Mugman said running backward.
The mug goes faster, the ball heading in his direction when suddenly the ground opened under his feet. Mugman fell but managed to grab the ledge.
"Mugsy!" Cuphead shouted, running to save his brother.
Fire and long, red arms grab Mugman and try to pull him down into the hole.
"Cuphead, save me!" Mugman screamed before he was pulled in and the hole disappeared.
Cuphead pounds his fist against the ground. "Mugman! Bendy! Help!" He shouted.
Before Bendy can run to Cuphead, he is sucked into a glass bottle held by Charley. He, Barley, and Edgar took the bottle and ran, disappearing behind the trees.
"No! Elder Kettle! Help!" Cuphead cried out. But Kettle had become a skeleton and falls apart on the floor. "No!" the cup mourned.
The family goat pulls on his leash until it snaps. He comes dashing towards the cup and smashes Kettle's skull.
"Remember me?" The goat asked.
Cuphead started to sweat. "Y-Yes." He said. A fire erupts around the cup and goat. "I think of you often, goat from the front yard."
"Your soul is mine!" The goat slowly transformed into the Devil.
Cuphead screamed as the Devil takes his soul and eats it.
Cuphead sits up from his bed. "I ain't too worried about it!" he screamed. He pants as he lays back down.
Mugman sits up from his bed. "You had the dream again, didn't you?" he asked.
"It's nothing," Cuphead said. "The Devil probably has a huge operation to run. And, Bendy... Anyway, He's not worried about little old me..." he laughs nervously.
Mugman climbs out of his bed. "That's it! Let's go!" he said, digging through the dresser drawer for clothes.
"Where? It's the middle of the night!" Cuphead asked before his shirt and pants were thrown at him.
"We're dealing with this Devil thing once and for all! Come on!"
"This is crazy! What do we..."
"Trust me Cuphead," Mugman said seriously. "This one time, can you just trust me?"
After they get dressed, Cuphead follows Mugman out of the cottage and they walk into the woods. Being back in the woods makes Cuphead think about Bendy. It's been two days since he had seen Bendy leave with the Devil, his dad apparently, in that elevator. It was still weird to think about that. To think they had been playing with the son of The Devil. But that didn't change how Cuphead felt about Bendy. Not that he would tell Mugman though.
'I miss you, Bendy. I hope you're okay,' Cuphead thought.
Down in the Underworld, Bendy looks much better than after the fight with the Butcher Gang. After learning about the gang's return, The Devil kept his little devil on bed rest for a day, preventing Bendy from going back to the cups or contacting them. Today though, The Devil, Bendy, and Henchman are taking a tour of the demon workspace.
"Do I have to be here for this Dad?" Bendy asked.
"Absolutely." The Devil said. "It's fun to learn about the workplace. And if I must suffer a little boredom then so do you,"
Bendy groaned.
"If you'd step over here, sir." A demon imp said. "This is the Gluttony Department. Our reports have shown an 89% increase in global overeating."
The Devil grins. "Oh! How delicious! Oh! What's over there?" He walks excitedly over to another part of the room.
"Team Famine, sir." Said a demon imp. "Not only is famine on a global upswing, but we've branched out into hunger-induced rage. Projected numbers are through the roof!"
"Wonderful!" The Devil lightly elbows Henchman, "Did you know about this?" he asked. He then walks over to another station. Television screens showing airplanes dropping bombs and soldiers fighting. "So, this is where we do war!" The Devil said.
Two demon imps are working on a telephone switchboard.
"Three new wars are being waged with catastrophic results on both sides." One imp said.
"We're breaking all previous records." The second imp said.
"That is amazing!" The Devil said happily. "Oh, I'm impressed with how fantastically I'm running this whole operation. In fact, I think I deserve a celebration!" He slams down his pitchfork and the workplace transformed into a party room. Tables laden with food and drinks, streamers, and balloons everywhere, everyone's wearing party hats, and there's a banner over on the wall.
'Congrats Devil!'
The demon king grabs a champagne glass and clinks it with his pitchfork. "Attention, everyone. We're having our most productive year in a millennia." He boasted. "All thanks to my hard work and dedication..."
"What's he talking about?" One imp asked another.
"I don't know, but we haven't had a break in almost a hundred years, so just go with it." The other imp answered.
"So, let's all raise a glass to me!" The Devil said proudly, raising his glass.
All the imps, Henchman, and Bendy clapped. A green hand rose from the crowd of imps.
"Um... excuse me!" someone said. A green demon steps out from the imps and walks to the devil. He's short with a large head, small horns, pointed ears, and purple eyes under a pair of thick glasses. He wears a large, blue polka-dotted bowtie, white cuffs over his wrists, and white spats on his feet. He's carrying a large book.
"Oh, not this guy," Henchman said with annoyance.
"Stickler," Bendy muttered before gagging.
Stickler, the green demon, speaks. "Um, according to the ledger, there is one outstanding soul in need of collection." He lifts the book up to the Devil's face. "It is a cup. He played Soul Ball. He was on Roll the Dice. As of today's date, his soul remains uncollected."
The Devil smiles and pushes the book down. "Thank you, Stickler, our very diligent auditor." He pats the demon's head before lightly pushing him away. "But I'm sure it's just a clerical error, everyone."
"Doubtful." Stickler said. "As you..."
"Hey, let's get that music going!" The Devil said snapping his fingers. He starts a conga line, and everyone joins in.
"Ahem, excuse me!" Stickler protested. "Excuse me!"
Cuphead and Mugman are walking through the woods. There's tall grass and the air is foggy. The cup is growing more nervous and unsure.
"Mugman, where are you taking me?" Cuphead asked.
"You'll see," Mugman replied. He parts some grass away revealing a clearing with a pond in the center.
There's a stone structure that looks like a doorway, ruins, and the pond is glowing with stones around it.
Cuphead is amazed. The brothers walk directly to the pond and Mugman pulls out a small plastic bag.
"Is that my sour fizzy jawbreaker?" Cuphead asked. Mugman doesn't answer and instead drops the candy into the water. "Hey!" The water starts to fizz. "Aw, man! I was working on that for months!"
"I'm sorry, Cuphead," Mugman said. "but I gotta make the water fizz so he'll appear."
"So who will appear?"
Suddenly the pond glows brighter and the ground shakes. A voice echoes from the water.
"When in doubt, young man of mug, give your brother one last hug."
"What was that?" Cuphead asked.
"A sage advisor, rumored to know all," Mugman explained.
The face of an old man appears in the water. He has a big nose, big ears, and his skin and eyes are blue. "I am Quadratus, the great and wise! Come closer, young ones, so I may advise."
"We come seeking your wisely wisdom," Mugman said.
"Protection is your mugly goal, for the Devil seeks his cuply soul. But fear not, for there is one way to save his soul and keep the Devil at bay. A sweater, knit with invisible fur from a long-extinct creature, will deter. Uh, basically, the sweater is impenetrable to the Devil, so..."
"Uh, you stopped rhyming," Cuphead said.
"Eh. It gets old. If you wear it, he cannot collect your soul. Now, where is that...?" The water moves around. "Ah-ha! Here it is!" A hand made of water rises, holding the ball of invisible yarn. "This is the last ball of invisible yarn! Take it, Mugman! And you must knit the sweater."
Mugman grabs the ball. "Wait. Why do I gotta do all the work?"
"The sweater is only effective if it's made with brotherly love," Quadratus said.
"Well, looks like I'm knitting an invisible sweater, then."
Cuphead hugs Mugman. "Gee! Thanks, Mugsy!" he said. "You're the best brother a cup could ever have!"
"Oh, how sweet," Quadratus said. "Now get knitting!"
Mugman gets to it while Cuphead hangs back with Quadratus.
"I have a question," Cuphead asked.
"What is it?" Quadratus asked.
"It's about our friend Bendy, is he really the Devil's son?"
"Ah, I assume you are referring to Bendall Devil." The pond shifts, showing an image of Bendy with the Devil. "Yes, he is the Devil's biological son."
Cuphead felt a pit in his stomach. "Okay, but he's not a soul collector like the Devil, right?"
"That's two questions."
"Just answer please."
"Fine, fine. He doesn't actively take souls like his father and taking your soul is not his goal."
Cuphead lets out a breath he didn't know he was holding in. A sense of relief washed over him. "Thank goodness," he said.
"There's something else you should know," Quadratus said. "Bendy is keeping his growing friendship with you and your brother a secret from his father," with that last advice, Quadratus disappeared, and the water stopped fizzing.
"To protect Bendall from family strife, keep the friendship secret with your life,"
The Devil is laughing and talking to some imps. Seeing him in a good mood, Bendy approaches his dad.
"Oh! Deviled eggs! You know, I invented these." The Devil said grabbing the snack.
"Hey Dad, I was wondering-"
Stickler clears his throat. "Excuse me!" he said.
Bendy growls and The Devil throws the egg away. "There goes my appetite. Oh, games! You up for a round of darts Bendall?" he grabs a dart.
"Sure, but I wanted to talk about-"
"Excuse me, please." Stickler said.
The Devil groans. Bendy pulls his dad closer to the punch bowl.
"Ignore him and take this," Bendy said. He pours his dad a glass and hands it to him.
"Thank you, son," The Devil said taking a sip of the punch.
"Your welcome, Dad," Bendy said. "So, now that I am feeling better, I was wondering if I could-"
Stickler came out of the punch bowl and cleared his throat.
The Devil spits out his punch, bursts into flames, and he glares at the green demon. "Fine!" he yelled. The flames go away, and he smiles at the imps. "Attention, everyone. I have a teensy-weensy thing to take care of. Don't stop the party. I'll only be a minute."
"But Dad-!" Bendy tried to protest.
"Bendall, I just need to step out for a moment and when I get back, we can talk,"
Before Bendy could stop him, the Devil slams down his pitchfork and he disappears.
Henchman glares at the green demon. "Uh, nice work, Stickler." He said.
"I will not apologize for doing my job." Stickler said.
Henchman turns around and smiles at Bendy. "Can I get you something little boss?" he asked.
Bendy's eyes shifted side to side. "Uh... I gotta go to the bathroom." He said before running away.
Mugman is knitting before he smiles and lifts the invisible garment. "There! All finished. Okay, Cuphead. Put it on."
Cuphead takes the sweater and sniffs it. "Urgh! Yuck! It stinks!" he exclaimed.
"You heard Quadratus. It's the only thing that'll stop the Devil from taking your soul."
"All right. I'll put it on." Cuphead puts on the sweater. "Oh! I guess it is nice and toasty."
Suddenly, the Devil appears in a puff of smoke.
The brothers scream. "The Dev–"
The Devil slaps Cuphead's hand away. "Yeah, yeah. I'm here for the soul. Let's make it snappy." He reaches for the cup's chest but before he can touch him, the sweater shocks the Devil. Once it stops, the Devil shakes his hand. "Yowch!" he yelled.
"Hey, it worked!" Cuphead said.
"You're wearing an impenetrable, invisible sweater! But how?!" The Devil yelled.
"Mugman made it for me." Cuphead pulls his brother closer. "It works on account of our brotherly love."
Mugman gives a nervous wave to the Devil.
"Of course, it does." The Devil said rolling his eyes.
Cuphead walks boldly past the Devil. "Now, if you'll excuse us, we'll be on our way home," Cuphead said. "Nice hat by the way," Mugman follows the cup.
The Devil looks confused for a second before remembering the party hat that he was still wearing. He rips it off and burns it in his hand as he glares at the brothers before disappearing in a puff of smoke and then reappearing in front of the brothers, blocking the way.
"The Devil!" Cuphead screamed.
"Cuphead. You're wearing the sweater, remember?" Mugman said.
"Oh, right."
The Devil leans down and looks Cuphead in the eye. "Yeah, about that. Why don't you save us both sometime and take it off?"
"Fat chance!" Cuphead said.
The Devil thinks for a second before snapping his fingers and a ten-dollar bill appears in his hand. "Take it off, and I'll give you ten bucks!"
"Oh, boy! Ten bucks!" Cuphead said lifting the sweater.
Mugman grabs Cuphead's arm. "No! Your soul's worth more than ten bucks."
"Hey, you're right!" Cuphead said. "Make it twenty."
"Deal," The Devil said.
"No! No deal! You're keeping that sweater on. Now let's go home." Mugman grabs Cuphead and drags him away from the Devil.
In the Underworld, Bendy is watching the events with a magic hand mirror in the Devil's private bathroom.
"Good work Mugman," Bendy said. "But be careful. Dad doesn't give up that easily,"
KNOCK KNOCK
"You okay in there little boss?" Henchman said from the other side of the door.
Bendy gave an exaggerated groan. "I'm okay, Henchman. Go back to the party! I need another minute!" he said. He gives another groan.
"Okay," Henchman said. He walks away. "Maybe he needs more fiber in his diet,"
Mugman and Cuphead were still walking when-
"Hurry, hurry, hurry! Step right up!" said a man.
The brothers turn their heads and see a carny on a stand. Behind him are posters of shows.
"Step right up! See the teapot tentacle lady! Encounter the bearded flamingo! Gawk at the really big squirrel!"
Cuphead and Mugman get excited. "Big squirrel?!" they said.
"We gotta see how big it is," Mugman said rubbing his hands.
"Right this way, gentlemen!" The man said.
"Wait, Cuphead," Mugman said, pointing at a sign over the entrance. "It says, "No sweaters allowed.""
"Oh, well, off it goes," Cuphead said about to take off the sweater.
Mugman stops him. "Hold it! Something's fishy about this. And I don't like the look of that carny."
Said carny was chuckling sinisterly at the cup and mug.
"Come on. Let's scram." Mugman pulls Cuphead and they walk away.
They don't see the angry Carny turning into the Devil.
The brothers keep walking when they suddenly smell something.
"Something smells delicious!" Mugman said.
Cuphead points ahead of them. "Oh, boy! Free hot dogs!"
There's a hot dog stand with steaming hot dogs. Cuphead grabs a hot dog and was about to take a bite. But he suddenly feels something warm on his shoulder, like an open flame close to his skin. He pauses at the touch.
'Drop the hot dog,' Bendy's voice echoes in his mind. 'Drop it!'
Cuphead drops the hot dog.
"Cuphead?" Mugman said. The mug picks up the hot dog and as he inspects it, he notices words scribbled on the dog. "Warning: One bite of this free hot dog may unleash a plague of sweater-eating demon moths"?" he gasped. "Good call dropping the dog, Cuphead. Let's get going!" Mugman grabs Cuphead's hand, and they walk away from the stand.
The stand was the Devil in disguise.
Bendy, still watching with the mirror, lets out a breath of relief as well.
"Thank the dark star that spell worked." He said.
Cuphead and Mugman keep walking and Quadratus' pool suddenly appears.
"I know I said to wear a sweater," Quadratus said. "but take it off, and that's much better."
"You're the wise guy," Cuphead said. He lifts the sweater.
Mugman stops him again when he notices something different about the sage in the pool.
"Hey!" Mugman said. "Quadratus doesn't have horns. That's the Devil in disguise! He's been trying to get your sweater off this whole time! Let's go!" he blows a raspberry as he pushes Cuphead away from the pool.
The pool melts down, revealing that it was the Devil again.
Mugman and Cuphead run, the exit from the woods just ahead of them.
"Look! We're almost out of the woods!" Mugman said.
The Devil appears in a puff of smoke and blocks their way.
"No, you're not!" The Devil yelled. "Now take off that sweater!" he points his pitchfork at Cuphead.
"It's not happening, Devil," Mugman said. "Just give up already."
"Yeah!" Cuphead said. "You should try transforming into someone who doesn't fail all the time."
Mugman and Cuphead laugh at that remark. The Devil's anger rises, and he bursts into flames.
Cuphead and Mugman start to sweat from the heat of the flames.
Cuphead fans himself. "So hot." He said tugging on the sweater.
The Devil's angry expression drops and is soon replaced with a sinister grin. He takes a deep breath, and his flames grow bigger and hotter.
"Oh! I'm cooking here." Cuphead said stretching his sweater. "I gotta take this thing off."
"No! Keep it on!" Mugman protested.
"I can't! I can't take it!" Cuphead said lifting the sweater off his chest.
Mugman starts to panic but then he remembers Quadratus' advice.
"When in doubt, young man of mug..." Mugman said. "Give your brother one last hug!"
The mug jumps and hugs his brother. The cup's arms were locked to his sides.
"Hey! What are you doing?" Cuphead asked.
The Devil tries to concentrate on his flames, and it spreads. Cuphead screams and closes his eyes, but the flames don't touch him or Mugman. A ten-foot-diameter sphere surrounds them. The fire erupts into a blast.
Bendy looks into the mirror worriedly.
When the flames subside, having scorched the surrounding forest, it is revealed that Cuphead and Mugman are fine, much to their surprise.
Bendy is also surprised by this.
The dumbfounded Devil screams in a rage and starts to uncontrollably morph into a bunch of creatures, his dragon form that has multiple pairs of limbs, a bull that spits fire, a draconic monster, and then an Octopus-like monster.
"We should go," Cuphead said.
"Yeah. Let's." Mugman replied.
The boys quietly flee as the Devil's body degenerates into a black mass out of which several heads sprout out before they get pulled back in. Eventually, the Devil morphs back to his normal form before slumping over.
"I hate those cups." The Devil muttered. He slams his pitchfork down and teleports back into the party room in the Underworld. "Well, I got him!" he said cheerfully. "Old Scratch did it again. Where's that cake?" he snapped his fingers, and a cake was brought to him. As he slices the cake, an unpleasant throat clearing comes up behind him.
"Where is the soul that has been retrieved?" Stickler asked.
The Devil shrugs. "I put it in the soul vault. With the others." He lied.
"You mean you didn't register it?" Stickler asked. He holds up his book. "We have a tracking system in place. Every soul must be officially accounted-" a fire blast shoots through the book, "...for."
"Oops. I guess the auditor will have to do a full recount." The Devil said.
"But I'm the auditor." Stickler said.
"Oh, that's right. Well, don't let us keep you. Bye!" The Devil waves as the green demon walks away. "Who still needs cake, huh? Let's see one for me, one for Bendall, and one for-... Bendall! Where is Bendall?"
"I'm here!" came Bendy's voice as he runs to the Devil. "I'm here."
"Why are you out of breath?" The Devil asked.
"Because I... I was rushing from the bathroom. I wouldn't go in there for a while, by the way, I did all I could, but you can only do such much with dried flowers." Bendy laughs nervously. "So did you get him?" he asked, catching his breath.
"Of course, I did." The Devil lied. "But enough about that. Wasn't there something you wanted to talk about?"
Bendy smiles, "I was wondering if I could go back to the surface soon." He said.
The Devil's smile drops. "I'm not sure how soon that should be son," he said. "That Butcher gang..."
"Ah, c'mon Dad," Bendy said. "That was a fluke at best. And I'm feeling better,"
"I'll think about it, alright?"
"Alright," Bendy said feeling a little disappointed.
The Devil can sense it. "How's about some cake?" he asked.
Bendy nods in agreement.
Cuphead and Mugman are home and putting their pajamas on.
"So, we agree," Mugman said. "We talk to Bendy once we get the chance."
"Yeah," Cuphead said. "At least we know he's not after my soul."
"Yes, but Quadratus didn't specify what Bendy's intentions are with us."
"Well, it can't be anything bad right? If it were I'm sure he would have hurt us already." Cuphead slips under the blankets on his bed.
"True but still I'd like an explanation anyway." Mugman goes to his bed.
"At least now I can get a good night's rest. Nothing is better than you making me a sweater."
"I'd make a sweater for no other than my dearest sweet, sweet brother."
"Quadratus was right. Rhyming gets old." Cuphead said. "G'night." The cup closed his eyes and fell asleep.
Later that night, the brothers were deep asleep when Bendy entered their bedroom through the window. He reaches out for Cuphead but before he can touch him, the sweater lights up and gives the little devil a shock on his finger. Bendy bit down a yelp and pulled his hand back.
'So, it does affect me too.' Bendy thought. 'Sorry Cuphead looks like I can't be near you while you wear that sweater,' he walks back to the window. He looks back at Cuphead and Mugman. "Bye fellas, it was nice while it lasted." He whispered before melting down his body and slipping away.
Cuphead's eyes fly open. "Bendy?" he whispered.