In the forest, Cuphead and Mugman are running and gasping.
"Hurry, Mugsy!" Cuphead shouted.
"I'm running as fast as I can!" Mugman shouted back.
Bendy, on all fours, was running after the cups like an animal hunting its prey.
"He's gaining on us!" Cuphead shouted.
The brothers scream as they run. They jump over a bush, Bendy jumps, but his tail gets caught on a branch, and he trips on his face.
Cuphead chuckles but keeps running.
"Look out!" Mugman shouted.
The boys stopped running as they neared the end of the cliff over a canyon and across the canyon is the city.
"It's over! We'll never get across!" Mugman said.
"Oh yes, we will! All thanks to my... homemade jetpack!" Cuphead said as he pulled out a yellow rocket behind his back.
"That's a rocket, not a jetpack," Mugman said.
"Same difference," Cuphead said before tying a rope around Mugman. He ties them both to the rocket.
"Is this thing safe?" Mugman asked.
"Oh, Cuphead~!" Bendy yelled in a sing-song voice in the forest. "Where are you~?"
Cuphead gasped. "No time to worry about safety." He said as he lit a match. He lights the fuse to the rocket. "Five, four, three, two..."
SPLASH
Cuphead looks down and sees that Mugman has doused the fuse with his milk.
"Hey, what's the big idea?" Cuphead asked.
"It was for your own safety," Mugman said.
Before Cuphead could speak, a certain disguised devil jumped and tackled the cup to the ground.
Bendy presses a finger against Cuphead's forehead. "Tag. You're it!" he said.
Cuphead groans before Bendy helps him back on his feet.
"Hope you're happy now, Mugsy," Cuphead said. "We could have won if you'd just let me use the jetpack."
"You mean this rocket?" Bendy asked.
"Same difference," Cuphead said.
"Well, excuse me for caring about you staying in one piece!" Mugman said.
"You're one piece. A piece of work!" Cuphead said, pointing at Mugman.
Mugman gasped.
"Oh, don't act surprised!" Cuphead said. "You're always finding something to whine about."
"Well, you're always jumping in without thinking!" Mugman said. "Someone's gotta be the voice of reason!"
"Yes, sir! Officer Mugman of the fun police!" Cuphead said with a salute.
"Well! If I'm so awful, maybe you need a new brother." Mugman said with a humph.
Cuphead gasps softly. "That's a great idea!" he said.
"What?" Mugman asked.
"Yeah, what?" Bendy asked.
"Sure! You're overprotective and lame, so I'll find another brother!" Cuphead said, picking up the rocket.
"Well, fine! Who even needs you?" Mugman said.
"I certainly don't need you. Good day!" Cuphead said before walking away.
"That's the cliff," Bendy said, pulling Cuphead back.
"Right. I knew that." Cuphead said. "I'll go this way."
Bendy walks after Cuphead.
"You're going with him?" Mugman asked.
"Yeah, he's the one whose soul is in danger, not yours," Bendy said. "You'll be fine,"
Edgar woke up, his head was pounding, and his vision was blurry. He rubs his eyes until his vision clears. Half of his body was in the river, while the other half lay on the shore. He slowly gets up, feeling sore.
"What happened?" Edgar asked. "How'd I get out here?"
The spider rubbed his head and slowly started to remember being in a car chase out of the city by some rando driving a truck with the cups. Barley was at the wheel, and Charley had Bendy in another bottle. Suddenly the car stopped, and he was thrown off, flew over a cliff, and down into the water. Edgar's memory gets foggy after that.
"Have I been here all night?" Edgar said as he looked up at the sky. "I gotta find the guys. Maybe they're wondering where I am,"
Downtown Inkwell, the shadiest part of the city, there's an abandoned dilapidating factory where the butcher gang has made their hideout. Charley was holding a hand mirror and was taking the big band-aid off over his left eye. Thankfully he could see, but there was some faint scarring where Bendy had scratched him.
"Little freak," Charley muttered. "We almost had him," he then notices Barley chewing away on a sandwich. "We were so close," he said.
Barley didn't say a word.
"What?" Charley asked.
Barley didn't answer.
"Okay, so we got beat'n back a bit... and Ed's missin'. But it's not my fault," Charley said.
Barley still hasn't responded.
"What? You think this is my fault?" Charley asked angrily.
Barley puts down his sandwich and swallows.
"But let me tell ye why," the sailor said. "We, bein' me and Edgar, just wanted to be rich, powerful, and feared just like the three of us used to dream to be. Ye, 'owever, seem to only want to waste that little beast. The same one we agreed to forget about thirty years ago! But 'cause of yer obsession, we be one man down! T'is be entirely yer fault!"
"But that little-"
"I don't w'nt to hear it!" Barley yelled. "Either ye quit this Bendy stuff, or I leave this crew,"
"You wouldn't," Charley seethed. "You haven't got the nerve!"
"Dare to try me, boss?"
The two stared at each other for a moment.
"Fine!" Charley shouted.
"Fine, what?" Barley said.
"Fine... I'll quit this Bendy huntin' thing. For a while." Charley said.
"Charley,"
"I can't give up on it completely, but I'll put it aside. And we can just focus on being a gang. How's that?"
Barley scratched his beard in thought. "That be fine." He said. "What about Edgar?"
"I don't know. We can search again later, but who knows."
At that moment, Edgar walked up to the door and opened it slightly. He stopped without alerting anyone when he heard his name.
"Edgar was a good guy. But maybe too good." Charley said.
"What do ye mean?" Barley said.
"You know what I'm talkin' about, Barley. Edgar was too nice. He didn't want to hurt those cup kids. He always whined about somethin'. He was a wimp,"
Edgar gasped softly.
"Aye, ye may have a point," Barley said. "He was a bit lily-livered."
The spider had heard enough and ran away to the woods.
"But even so, he be one of us," Barley said. "We 'ave to find him."
"Okay, let's go." Charley said.
Cuphead and Bendy are sitting on a bench in the park.
"All right let's find that new brother," Cuphead said.
"So, who are you gonna pick?" Bendy asked. "What about one of them?"
The kitten is pointing at the two boy spoons, laughing and flying kites.
"N'ah, I want one brother, not two," Cuphead said.
"Alright, alright," Bendy said.
They spot two kitten brothers playing in the sandbox. Two elder gopher brothers playing checkers. And Ribby and Croaks on playing on a seesaw.
"This might be harder than we thought," Bendy said.
"Meh. All the brothers are already taken." Cuphead said, crossing his arms.
"You know, I could be your new brother if you want," Bendy said. "I'm plenty dangerous,"
Cuphead flinched. "Uh, n-no, you can't be my brother," he said quickly.
"Why not?" Bendy asked.
The cup's eyes darted. "Be-because, you're Bendy." He said.
"Yeah... And?"
"And? Um. As Bendy, you already have an important role. As the protector, slash friend, and so much more. You don't need to be my brother too."
"Maybe you're right. It's already a lot of work being your protector slash friend. Also, I don't think my dad would approve of his most wanted fugitive being my brother,"
Cuphead chuckled nervously and fanned himself with his hand. "His most wanted?" the cup asked.
"Didn't I show this yet?" Bendy said as he pulled out the wanted poster of Cuphead.
"Wanted by the Devil. Is that it?" Cuphead said.
"What?" Bendy asked.
"I thought there be a reward or somethin',"
"Oh, that's there,"
"Where?"
Bendy pulls out a magnifying glass, and it shows a very, very, very tiny print at the bottom of the paper.
"Reward: 10 bucks," Cuphead red. "That's it? He's offering ten bucks for my soul! That is- I mean-!" he hmphed.
Bendy tried to suppress a laugh bubbling in his throat. Cuphead glared at him.
"Hey, don't worry about it, my dad has always been cheap when it comes to rewards," Bendy said. He pockets the poster behind his back and clears his throat. "Let's get back to the brother thing,"
"Right, right. I need a brother. But not just anyone can fit the build. I want someone dangerous and won't whine about safety."
RING RING
Someone rushes past Cuphead and Bendy on a tricycle. They move so fast you can't see who it is and do some crazy stunts.
"Who is that kid?" Cuphead asked, dazzled by what he saw. He runs after the kid on the tricycle. "Hey, kid!"
"Cuphead, wait!" Bendy said, following the cup.
Bendy pushes the spoon brothers out of the way.
"Where'd he go?" Cuphead asked.
Bendy and Cuphead looked left and then right. Then they see Bowlboy in front of them on a tricycle.
"Looking for someone, Cuphead?" Bowlboy asked.
"Ugh. Get out of here, Bowlboy!" Cuphead said, pushing the bowl away. "We're looking for that kid that was doing all those crazy stunts!"
Bowlboy giggles, "Then look no further." He said while riding the tricycle on one foot.
"Wait, that was you?" Cuphead asked. Bendy seemed surprised too.
"That's right," Bowlboy said. He jumps off the tricycle and uses a crossbow with rope to zip to a tree.
"I had no idea you were such a—" Cuphead said.
"Loose cannon?" Bowlboy said, swinging from the tree.
"That's my favorite kind of cannon!" Cuphead said.
"Wanna get silly... with a bowl?" Bowlboy said.
"Do I?" Cuphead said excitedly.
"Do you?" Bendy asked Cuphead.
Bowlboy lands on the ground. "One thing you gotta know first. Bowlboy's all~ways got a few tricks up his sleeve."
Cuphead opens his mouth to speak, but Bendy slaps his hand over the cup's mouth.
"Give us a sec," Bendy said before pulling Cuphead away from Bowlboy. "We need to tell this kid to get lost and find someone else," he whispered.
"Why? He's great. He's just what we're looking for," Cuphead whispered.
"I don't know, Cuphead, I'm getting major creeps from this kid."
They look back at Bowlboy, who smiles at them and waves at them with his fingers.
"Well, it's Bowlboy, he's always been weird and annoying. But right now, he's looking really reckless. You saw those stunts,"
"Just because he's got a few tricks on a trike and a crossbow doesn't make him dangerous,"
"You think so?" Bowlboy whispered.
The kitten and cup nearly jumped when they noticed the bowl had snuck up on them.
"Well, check this out," Bowlboy said. He spins his head around and somehow has eight lit dynamite sticks in his mouth.
Cuphead screams.
"Spit 'em out!" Bendy yelled.
Bowlboy spits out the dynamite, and they end up in Cuphead's hands. Bendy grabs them and throws them away. The dynamite blows up, and the explosion makes the other brothers in the park fly away.
"Whoops," Bendy said.
"You almost killed me!" Cuphead yelled at Bowlboy. "You are irresponsible, careless, and simply unhinged!"
Bowlboy simply smiles back.
Cuphead then drops to his knees. "Be my new brother!"
At the Kettle Cottage, Mugman is sitting alone on the couch and frowning. He looks up at the clock just before the little wooden bird comes out and chirps three times.
"Huh. Three o'clock, and not a single contusion." Mugman said, checking his body. He smiles, "This might not be so bad after all." He sits back and reads a book.
Meanwhile, Cuphead, Bendy, and Bowlboy go around town doing all kinds of dangerous stuff. Tie themselves to anchors and throw them into the sea, ride the hood of speeding trolleys, and eat chili with the hottest of hot sauces at Chili Jims.
Mugman is asleep on the couch with the book over his face. Cuphead and Bendy notice this and smirk. Bendy tip toes to the couch, slowly lift one side and start shaking it.
"Earthquake!" Cuphead screamed with a smile on his face. "Mugsy, get down! Quick Mugman!"
Mugman, half awake, rolls off the couch and lands with a thud before rolling himself under the couch. After he shakes his head and fully wakes up, he notices the ground isn't moving, and the other boys are snickering.
"You two lousy-" Mugman curses under his breath before rolling out and getting back on his feet.
Bendy drops the couch. "So, you bored yet, Mugsy?" he asked.
Cuphead walks into the kitchen.
"Bored? What makes you say that?" Mugman asked the kitten.
"You wanted to play it safe and ended up napping on the couch," Bendy said.
"I wasn't bored. I was just... relaxing. Which isn't boring. It's nice," Mugman said defensively.
"Uh-huh, sure," Bendy said.
"Well, I bet you guys aren't having much luck finding a new brother," Mugman said.
"Actually, Mugman, I already did find a new brother!" Cuphead said, throwing things around in the kitchen.
"You did?"
"He did,"
"Hey, where do we keep the gunpowder?" Cuphead asked Mugman.
"Between the flour and sugar, where it's always been."
"Thanks, pal," Cuphead said before going to the shelves. "There you are." He pushes the flour and sugar jars away, they shatter on the ground, and he grabs the two bags of gunpowder. "Bendy, grab a bag,"
Bendy grabs one of the bags.
"So, uh, is Bendy your new brother?"
"I offered, but he said no," Bendy said.
"N-no," Cuphead said. "I just said that he's already got a lot on his plate. Besides, it'd be weird,"
"Why would Bendy being your brother be weird?" Mugman asked.
"Yeah, why would it?" Bendy asked.
Cuphead's starts to sweat. He couldn't tell them.
"Uh... Oh, look at the time!" Cuphead said nervously. "C'mon Bendy, my new, more exciting brother is waiting for us," he grabs the kitten's hand, and they walk out the door with the bags. "Well, see ya later, Mughead." Cuphead and Bendy walk away.
Mugman gasps sadly before he sniffles. "Well, who even needs a brother?!" he yelled before slamming the door.
A vehicle approaches the cottage and stops.
Mugman looks outside, sees the mail truck, and gasps before running back to the kitchen.
The pencil mailman, also known as Dixon, was about to put some letters in the mailbox, but Mugman blocked it with his face. His nose squeaks from the letters pressed against it.
"Special delivery," Mugman said. "For you this time. It's a pie." He's holding a pie and wearing an apron over his usual clothes.
"No, thank you. Here's your mail." Dixon said as he sticks the letters into the pie. He was about to walk away, but Mugman pulled on his letter satchel.
"Wait, wait! Stay a while!" Mugman suggested.
"I need to deliver the mail." Dixon insisted as he pulled his bag back.
"What you need is a new brother," Mugman said. "Just listen to how good this sounds. Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman."
As Mugman goes on, Dixon takes a chance and quietly escapes back to his truck. Without looking back, he starts the truck and drives. He drives a few feet... before he notices Mugman sitting in the passenger seat.
"Mugman, Mailman. Mailman, Mugman. Mugman, Mailman. Mail—"
Dixon stops the truck, kicks the mug out, and then drives away.
Mugman rolls deeper into the woods before he stops under a big tree. He sighs.
"This might be harder than I thought." He said aloud. "Why did I have to suggest he find a new brother? Now Cuphead's having a great time with his new brother and Bendy." He gets on his feet and brushes off the dirt.
He doesn't notice the large six-legged shadow looming over his head.
"So, what if I'm not all that dangerous? I don't care what they say. I don't need them." Mugman sighed. "But gee, it's sure upsetting without them around,"
"I know the feeling," said a voice overhead.
Mugman stiffens before slowly turning his head upward and sees Edgar.
"Don't freak out," Edgar said.
Mugman screamed and ran, but the spider shot him with webbing and dragged him back. After a little struggle, Edgar wraps Mugman in a cocoon and places him on his web. Only Mugman's head was exposed, and everything from the neck down was bound in the cocoon.
"I told you not to freak out," Edgar said.
"You won't get away with this. My friends will come looking for me any second, and you know Bendy won't be merciful," Mugman said.
"I ain't worried about that yet. You just said Cuphead and Bendy we're having fun with a new brother, right?" Edgar said.
"Um, well, I mean, technically, yes," Mugman muttered.
"Thought so," Edgar said. "Which means I got all the time in the world to do whatever I want to you,"
Mugman shook. "Just you? But what about the others?"
Edgar hesitated. "They-... they... UGH!" he shouted before pacing on the web.
The mug watched the spider pace with a mixture of fear and curiosity.
"Do you... want to talk about what is bothering you?" Mugman asked slowly.
"No!" Edgar snapped, not pausing his pacing.
"Okay, okay," Mugman said. After a few seconds of watching Edgar, the mug spoke again. "You know, I've sometimes wondered. How come spiders don't get stuck in their own webs?"
Edgar finally stopped pacing. "Oh, that's easy," he said. "We can spin sticky thread and non-sticky thread. Like that cocoon you're in, non-sticky, just the webbing it's stuck to. And some of my leg hair keeps the sticky webbing from getting me stuck."
"Huh, I had no idea," Mugman said.
"Yeah, you just gotta be-" he eyed the mug suspiciously. "Careful,"
"Just asking," Mugman said meekly.
"Which one are you again?" Edgar asked. "Mug-something,"
"Mugman,"
"Right." The spider said, backing away. "So, your brother traded you for a new one? That is what you said before, right?"
"Yes,"
"I'm probably being replaced too-! Forget I said that!" he yelled.
"No can do," Mugman said.
Edgar growled.
"You. Replaced? But why?" Mugman asked.
Edgar hesitated. "The guys think I'm too soft. I didn't want to kill you kids like them, and I whine too much. I overheard them say all that. I mean, I'm used to them saying stuff like to my face, but it hit differently that they thought that while I'm not around."
"Actually, my brother said something like that right to my face. Not the killing stuff, but the whining, yes. So, he found a dangerous, more exciting brother."
"That's rough,"
The two were silent for a moment.
'He's a criminal and scary looking, but he really isn't as mean as his friends. At least for the moment.' Mugman thought. 'Maybe he just needs a new friend, or maybe...' then the mug had an idea.
"What was your name again?" Mugman asked.
"I'm Edgar," the spider answered.
"Tell me how this sounds to you. Mugman, Edgar. Edgar, Mugman. Mugman, Edgar. Edgar, Mugman."
A while later, Cuphead, Bendy, and Bowlboy were walking towards the cottage when they heard laughter coming from the backyard. They recognized Mugman's laughter but not the other.
"Mugman?" Cuphead called out.
They heard gasping and shuffling before Mugman stepped out from behind the cottage.
"Oh, hey, fellas, I was just-" Mugman said but stopped when he noticed the bowl standing between Cuphead and Bendy. "What's he doing here?" he asked, pointing at Bowlboy.
"Him? You mean Cuphead's new brother?" Bendy answered.
Mugman's eyes went wide from shock. "Bowlboy?" he said. His shock then became angry. "Your new brother is Bowlboy?!"
"Yeah. Bowlboy's up for anything, and he's always got a few tricks up his sleeve." Cuphead said.
"I'm a wild little bowl," Bowlboy said.
"Anyway, we just came to grab a few things," Cuphead said.
"Yeah, what are you up to Mugman?" Bendy asked.
"Me? I was just doing stuff with my new brother," Mugman answered.
"You found a brother too?" Bendy asked, "Neat. Where is he?"
"Back here. But you can't see him yet,"
"Why?" Bendy asked.
"He's- He's shy."
Bendy crossed his arms. "And what sort of stuff were you doing with this shy brother?" he asked.
"Telling jokes and talking about spinning," Mugman said.
"Spinning?" Cuphead asked.
"Like spinning thread. Sewing. Knitting,"
"Bleh! Sounds boring. Sounds perfect for you, though," Cuphead said. "Come on, Bowlsy, we got a jetpack to make." Cuphead and Bowlboy laugh as they walk away with the red wagon.
"Mugman," Bendy said, "I know you're mad at Cuphead, but we're good, right?"
"Sure, we are," Mugman said.
"Okay, so you know you can tell me stuff. Like with this new brother of yours..."
"Bendy, I'm fine. He's alright. Just trust me," Mugman said. "And, not that I care, but please make sure Cuphead doesn't get shattered."
"Alright," Bendy shrugged. He pats Mugman's shoulder, "I'll see you late- Eww," he pulls his hand back and finds something sticky on his glove. "What is this?" he asked.
"Um, I'm not sure." Mugman lied.
Bendy looks at the mug questioningly. "Right. See ya, Mugsy," he said. He runs after Cuphead. "Hey Cup, wait up!" he yelled.
"Phew," Mugman said.
"Are they gone?" Edgar asked from hiding in a bush.
"Yepp," Mugman said, walking back behind the cottage. "So, you can spin a web, but can you knit too."
"Oh, you were serious about that?"
At the cliff, Cuphead and Bowlboy were building a big, red rocket. Bendy was inspecting the sticky stuff on his glove.
"Hey, Cuphead," Bowlboy said as he was filling the rocket with gunpowder. "Try this on for size. Cuphead, Bowlboy. Bowlboy, Cuphead. I like how that sounds."
"What're you thinking about?" Cuphead asked Bendy.
"Huh?" Bendy asked.
"You've been kinda quiet and staring at that stuff on your glove. What is it?"
"It looks like spider web. I got it off Mugman's shoulder,"
"He probably just walked into a cobweb earlier," Cuphead said with a shrug.
"Maybe, but it's not just that. He was acting kinda shifty back there. Didn't you notice?"
"Not really,"
A band-aid fell off the rocket, and gunpowder spilled out. Cuphead plugs it back up.
"Uh, Bowlboy, you sure this thing's safe?" Bendy asked.
"Well, well, well! What happened to not being too worried about stuff?" Bowlboy said.
"I just think-"
"Just think about it this way, Bendy," Bowlboy said, wrapping an arm around the kitten. "Boring old Mugman would never do anything this crazy."
"You got two seconds to remove your hand, or I bite it off," Bendy said warningly.
Bowlboy pulls his hand back quickly.
"Whoa, buddy, no need to be like that," Cuphead said.
Bendy pinches his brow before looking at Cuphead again.
"Sorry, sorry," Bendy said. "I just can't shake this feeling that something's wrong. I gotta check on Mugman again," he starts walking away.
"But what about the rocket?" Cuphead said.
"Just don't use it till I get back," Bendy said. The kitten runs away.
Cuphead was about to follow Bendy, but Bowlboy grabs the cup's wrists.
"Hey, where you going?" Bowlboy asked.
"I mean, if Bendy's so sure that something's wrong, then maybe I should go with him," Cuphead said.
"Bendy's just being paranoid," Bowlboy said. "Besides, we got a rocket to finish,"
"But Bendy said-"
"Bendy said not to use the rocket, he didn't say we shouldn't finish building it. He'll be back, and when he does, we can all fly together,"
"Hmm. That does sound pretty good."
"Mm-hmm."
Mugman and Edgar were knitting with knitting thread and needles.
"I haven't done this in years," Edgar said.
"Really?" Mugman asked.
"Yeah, they don't really let have knitting needles in prison,"
"Oh, right," Mugman said with a nervous chuckle. "Done," Mugman said. He presents blue mittens.
"Oh, neat," Edgar said. He resumed knitting. "Almost... done," he presents a dark yellow scarf.
"Wow, you even got the tassels on it, impressive,"
"Thanks,"
"Here, I want you to have these," Mugman said, handing the mittens to Edgar.
"You're giving these to me?" Edgar asked.
"Yes," Mugman said.
Edgar takes the mittens, then, after a thought, he hands the scarf to Mugman.
"Then I want you to have this," Edgar said.
"Thank you," Mugman said, taking the scarf. "This is nice, right?"
"Isn't it, I wasn't too sure about the pattern at first,"
"No, I mean this. Just two people doing something nice and not dangerous like flying on rockets or... I don't know, robbing a bank."
"Oh, I wished I could've robbed a bank. But n'ah. Lately, all Charley wants to do is capture Bendy and kill him,"
"Do you always do what Charley wants?"
"Yeah, he's the boss."
"Well, if you're not in the gang, you don't have to do what he wants. Now you can do what you want. Within reason, of course,"
Edgar's eyes widened. "You're right," he said. "I don't have to do what Charley wants."
"Yeah,"
"If he or Barley don't want me in the gang, then fine. I don't need to be dangerous,"
"Yeah,"
"I'm gonna go back and tell them that!" Edgar gets on his feet and walks off.
"Yeah- what!?" Mugman shouted.
"I'll see ya later, Mugsy!" Edgar shouted as he ran. He pockets the mittens.
"Edgar, wait!" Mugman shouted as he ran after the spider and pocketed the scarf.
At that moment, Bendy is outside the cottage. He was about to knock when he spotted Edgar running away. He gasped.
"Edgar," Bendy said. Then he sees Mugman chasing after Edgar. "Mugman?" the kitten rubs his eyes, thinking he's seeing things, but when he looks again, it's the same. Mugman was chasing Edgar. "What the hell is he doing?" he wondered. "I gotta get Cuphead,"
Back at the cliff, Bowlboy had just finished tying the rope around Cuphead and himself. Now they were firmly tied to the rocket.
"Is there enough space for Bendy when he gets back?" Cuphead asked.
"Sure, sure," Bowlboy said. "But I was just thinking,"
"Yeah?"
"Maybe we can do this stunt without him,"
"But he's been doing all these stunts with us all day."
"I know, but he's starting to feel like a third wheel to me. And, just between you and me, I think we'd be better without him."
"Whoa, Bendy is my friend, and I'm pretty sure I'd be dead a long time ago if it weren't for him. My brother would never have a problem with Bendy hanging out with us."
"Well, I'm your brother now. And I just want us brothers to have one dangerous stunt together without that cat dragging- I mean, tagging along. Now, enough talk, let's jet."
Bowlboy lights a match with his cheek, but Cuphead blows it out.
"Brother or not, I'm not doing another stunt with you unless Bendy is with us, and that's that," Cuphead said firmly.
Bowlboy's right eye gives a little twitch, and he lets out a little chuckle.
"Is that right?" Bowlboy asked with a smile.
"Y-yes!" Cuphead said, trying to mask his nervousness.
"Cuphead, I don't want us to fight, I just want us to be the best brothers. I want that so much, I did all these crazy stunts for the first time just for you,"
"Wait, really? You've been irresponsible, careless, and simply unhinged all day just so you could be my brother?"
"Oh, it's more than that. I also want to learn from you, Cuphead, and be just like you, Cuphead, and become you, Cuphead!" Bowlboy's eyes were red at this point.
Cuphead was stunned. "What was that last part?" he asked.
"Nothing," Bowlboy said before lighting another match.
"Cuphead!" Bendy cried out as he ran towards them. "We got a problem! Mugman-! Whoa, what are you doing?"
"Bendy, get me out of here!" Cuphead said urgently.
"What?" Bendy asked.
"You were right all along! Bowlboy's a creepy nutjob! Get me out of here!"
Bendy doesn't miss a beat and is on the rope.
"Wait, Cuphead," Bowlboy pleaded.
"We don't have time to wait," Bendy said firmly. "Mugman is in trouble!"
"He is?" Cuphead asked. "Then we got to save him,"
But Bowlboy just tightens the rope, making Cuphead grunt, Bendy's hands get trapped under the rope.
"What are you doing?" Bendy asked, looking at Bowlboy.
"I'm doing this dangerous stunt with my brother Cuphead," Bowlboy said, lighting another match. "And there's nothing you can do about it."
Bendy narrowed his eyes, pulled his hands out of the rope, and shook his fingers to get the feeling back.
"Cuphead, close your eyes," Bendy said.
Cuphead did as he was told, and soon, he heard punching, grunting, yelping, and then a sharp crack. He opens his eyes again as Bendy pulls him out of the rope and holds him bridal style. He saw that Bowlboy now had a black eye and a crack on his face.
"I thought we were brothers," Bowlboy said.
"He's already got a brother, and you got a flight to catch," Bendy said. He spat, but his spit was on fire, and when it hit the fuse, it burned in seconds.
WOOSH
The rocket flew off with Bowlboy straight up into the sky.
"Ooo," Cuphead said. "Where do think he'll fly to?"
"Hopefully into space," Bendy answered. "Now let's go save Mugman!" the kitten runs with Cuphead in his arms.
At the old factory, Barley and Charley had just returned from searching for Edgar with no success.
"Anything?" Charley said.
"Yarg, not a sign of 'im," Barley said.
"Ugh, where is he?" Charley said.
SLAM
Barley and Charley nearly jump out of their skins when a door bursts open.
"Hello, fellas!" Edgar said angrily. He marches up to the men. "Don't talk! Just shut up and listen, Charley! I have had it with your Bendy obsession and for you always talking down on me! You can't kick me out of the butcher gang cause I'm kicking myself out. What do you think about that!"
Charley and Barley were too stunned to speak... or listen, apparently, because Charley just started yelling.
"Where the hell have you been? We've been looking for you everywhere!"
"Oh really?! Cause last I heard, I was too nice and wimpy and lily-lived to be in the gang!"
"Ye heard what we said?" Barley asked.
"Yeah! And if that's how you feel, then I'm leaving the gang!"
"Too bad because we've been talking about robbing that bank on 3rd street," Charley said with a sly smile.
Edgar looked surprised. "Y-you have? No! You're just messing with me," he said.
"He means it, matey!" Barley said, "But we'll need you to make it happen,"
"You're serious?" Edgar asked.
"You can even grab the first money bag," Charley said.
Edgar's eyes flashed with dollar signs.
"Wait, Edgar!" Mugman shouted.
The men looked in the direction of the door and spotted Mugman.
"Don't do it!" Mugman shouted.
"What's he doing here?" Charley questioned.
"You don't have to do what Charley says, remember?" Mugman pleaded. "You don't have to be a bad guy,"
Edgar looks back at the gang and then back at Mugman.
"I know I don't have to be bad. I want to be bad," Edgar said.
Charley and Barley close in on Mugman and grab him. Just then, Bendy jumps on them and starts scratching and hissing like an angry cat. They drop Mugman.
"Mugsy!" Cuphead whispered.
"Cuphead!" Mugman said happily, running to his brother. They hid behind a box.
They watch a fight cloud forming around Bendy and the butcher gang as they fight. The little kitten was thrown out of the cloud, and he crashed against the wall. He fell to the floor... and he wasn't moving.
"Bendy!" Cuphead and Mugman screamed.
Charley walked up to Bendy.
"Boss, remember what we t'lked about!" Barley said. "No more Bendy huntin',"
"I know... but he's right here," Charley said. "It would take an act of god to save him now,"
Hardly had the man finished when they heard a high-pitched whistle.
"What's that?" Edgar asked.
A maniacal laugh was coming from above.
Slowly everyone looked up and saw it from the open ceiling. The big red rocket, with a cracked Bowlboy, was falling straight toward them. It crashed down and exploded.
BOOM
Sometime later, at the Inkwell hospital, Cuphead and Mugman were lying on hospital beds in full body casts. Bendy was sitting on the side of the cup's bed and had only one band-aid on his forehead. He was signing his name on Cuphead's arm with some ink on his finger.
"And... there," Bendy said. "Bendy was here!"
Mugman sighed sadly.
"Maybe it's good you can't pick your families at birth because you two have lousy taste in brothers," Bendy points at Cuphead. "You picked a careless, dangerous nutcase. And you," he points at Mugman, "Edgar? A member of the butcher gang? What were you thinking?"
"I couldn't help it. I sympathized with him. I thought we had stuff in common. I just thought he needed a better brother then Charley and Barley. But as soon as he went back to them, he was back to being bad."
Bendy sighed. "Don't worry about it Mugman. Maybe you two had a moment but Edgar, Charley, and Barley have been friends forever. That won't change in a day, and neither will any of those guys unless that's what they want."
"That's very insightful." Mugman said. "Thanks. But I can't shake the fact that all this was my fault. If I hadn't suggested we find new brothers, none of this would've happened."
"I'm glad it happened."
"Huh?" Mugman said.
"What?" Bendy asked. "We blew up a building, the butcher gang disappeared, and you fellas got hurt."
"I didn't say I liked everything that happened, but all this made me realize that Mugman, you're more than just my brother, you're my best friend, and that's how it's always gonna be."
The brothers looked back at each other, smiling.
"Oh, gee, Cuphead," Mugman said. "That's real nice. I'd hug you if my spine wasn't shattered."
"Same here, Mugsy," Cuphead said. "I also learned that if Bendy says someone's a creep, I should listen,"
"Yeah, I've dealt with my fair share of creeps," Bendy said. "Let's also agree to avoid the "other brothers" like the plague."
"Agreed," Cuphead and Mugman said.
A silhouette of a man came to the curtain surrounding the boys. "Hello, boys. It's your..." the curtains are pulled back to reveal Bowlboy wearing a doctor's coat and a head mirror. "...doctor!"
"Bowlboy!" The boys said.
"That's Dr. Bowlboy to you." He said, pulling out a syringe from his coat sleeve. "And I've always got a few tricks up my sleeve." He laughs maniacally.