It was a cold, cloudy January day in Inkwell. In the city there stood the 'Roll the Dice' theatre that hosted only one show; Roll the Dice. And it was the home of its host. King Dice. Now the theater was empty and in shambles.
'Our lives are made by the choices we make. I made my choice, and this is where I ended up,'
King Dice turned over on the dirty mattress on the ground. His once pristine clothes were now tattered and dirty. His left shoe was missing. His gloves were torn down to the knuckles. He had a five o'clock shadow and his mustache was a mess.
'This is my story, as told by me, a guy with a song in his heart. And a dice for a head.'
The dice man looked down at the cracked gold ring over his left ring finger.
'And this ring... serves as a slim reminder of my life before I was King Dice. Believe it or not, but I used to live a life much different than this, even more different than my life as 'King' Dice. I lived higher up than that.'
In a castle?
'No, higher than that.'
In a temple?
'No, even higher than that. Think upward. Keep going...'
Up in the clouds, there were the golden gates of heaven.
'Correct. I don't usually talk about this, but since we're telling my story I might as well let you in on my biggest secret. I wasn't born a mortal. I was created as an angel. A real angel. With the halo, and the robes, and the wings, all that jazz.'
FLASHBACK
Many Years Ago...
High above there were the golden gates to heaven. It is beautiful. Clouds mixed with colors of white, yellow, pink, and different shades of blue.
Everyone had wings, halos, robes, and smiles on their faces.
'Yep, it was nice up there and I was one of the higher-ranked angels.'
Dice was an angel with golden-yellow dots on his head instead of purple, a gold halo floated over his head, and he wore a blue robe.
'I soothed souls with my voice, guiding them to heaven and I carried a spear. Never really used it but had to carry it, nonetheless. I served there for centuries, and I was very popular.'
Dice was flying around when three little cherubs approached him.
"Dice, Dice, will you sign my harp?" one blonde cherub asked.
"Of course," Dice replied before he signed his name on the harp.
"Thank you, sir," the cherub said before they flew away with the others.
A couple of female angels giggled and waved at Dice. He gave them a wink and the ladies swooned.
'Yepp, I was one of the best ones out there. Practically number one. Until... she arrived.'
One day, a new angel arrived. She was beautiful, with long black hair, blue eyes, fair skin, a cutie mark on her cheek, and a pretty face. It wasn't just her looks though, she was also talented. Many flocked around her as she sang and flew around.
'Alice was her name, and it wasn't long before she had everyone's love and admiration. Well, almost everyone.'
While angels and cherubs admired Alice, Dice floated in the distance and looked at the woman with disdain and jealousy.
"What so special about her anyway?" Dice wondered.
"You wanna know what I heard?" One spoon angel asked.
'The only thing that spread more in heaven than gospel was gossip.'
The spoon angel whispered. "I heard she died giving birth to a demon's child and the higher-ups took pity on her and allowed her into Heaven."
'That surprised me. Not the part where a mortal woman had a demon's child but the part where she was permitted to Heaven after that. Unfortunately, not many get that kind of break.'
"Whose kid did she spawn?" Dice wondered.
"No idea, I wouldn't ask though. The higher-ups probably won't like it," the spoon angel said.
'Even though I didn't ask around, I got my answer but in an unexpected way. I noticed Alice flying down one day and decided to follow her.'
It was a snowy day in Inkwell Isle.
Dice rode a cloud and found Alice on a cloud. She was looking at something in the woods. Dice followed her sight and saw them.
The Devil and little Bendy were playing in the snow. The little devil was building himself a snowman.
Dice wondered why Alice was watching The Devil, of all people. But then realized she was watching the little devil.
Bendy finished his snowman.
"Good job," The Devil said.
Bendy giggled.
Alice giggled too and clapped quietly.
Dice used his wings to part the clouds and shine a brilliant ray of sunshine on the little devil's snowman making it melt in seconds.
'I wasn't normally a prankster, but the opportunity was too good to resist.'
The devil and Bendy were stunned in surprise for a moment before the little devil burst into tears and the big devil shook with fury. He shot a couple of fireballs into the air.
Alice and Dice had to fly quickly to dodge the fireballs and quickly made it back to heaven.
The Devil yelled while Dice snickered.
"That wasn't very nice," Alice said with disapproval.
"Oh relax, it was a harmless prank," Dice said with a shrug.
"You really hurt that boy's feelings."
"Boy? That was just another ugly little demon."
"DON'T CALL HIM THAT AGAIN!"
Dice smirked. "So defensive. You sound like... a mother."
Alice looked at the dice angel wide-eyed with a blush on her face.
"Got ya'," Dice said.
"Please don't tell anyone." Alice pleaded.
Dice rolled his eyes. "Fine. Just stay out of my way and I'll keep quiet."
'I kept my promise... for about an hour. Soon everyone knew who Alice had a baby with. I had thought everyone would shun her... but to my surprise, everyone just flaunted her even more. Showering her with sympathy and support and I got chastised for revealing her secret. Years went by, and eventually, I stopped being shunned but I never got my popularity back. Alice was the belle of the ball, the toast of heaven and it made me so mad. Finally, I couldn't take it anymore.'
It was raining that day, Dice took a cloud down to the world. Specifically, in Inkwell City. He stopped the cloud on the outskirts of the city and slowly stepped off the cloud. The sky lit with lightning and roared with thunder.
'Heaven was paradise but even it has rules and one of the most crucial rules was this.'
*When your feet touch the ground, that is where you are bound*
'In other words, if an angel or a cherub willing step on the earth, they become mortal.'
Dice soon had both feet on the ground. A lightning bolt struck him.
"AHHH!" Dice screamed.
When the lightning stopped, Dice was still standing there but he had changed. He took his first breath ever, he looked around and the cloud was gone.
'No wings, no glow, and no guarantee of reentry back to heaven. And as for my halo. Cracked and slipped onto my finger.'
END OF FLASHBACK
'I chose to leave heaven because if I couldn't be number one there I'd try elsewhere. And I achieved it. I had it all and more. Money, influence, and fame. I was in my prime and I still had my voice. "King" They called me.'
Dice remembered the days when people used to chant his name and cheer as he sang on stage.
'Yeah, it was fun while it lasted. And then I lost everything. Without my show, without my audience, I'm nothing.'
Dice sat up and cracked his spin. He sniffed up a scent trail.
"Breakfast is ready," Dice said.
He walked over to a burning trash can and pulled out the metal stick. At the other end of the stick was Dice's left shoe. He chewed on the leather.
A young voice caught Dice's attention.
"Step right up! Step right up! Come one, come all!"
"That voice. It sounds so familiar." Dice said to himself.
Dice peeked behind a wall to see what was going on. There on the sidewalk were Cuphead and Mugman. A small crowd stood around them.
Cuphead stood on a box with a wooden cane in his hand.
Mugman sat on a smaller box. He was wearing a red bow tie along with his usual clothes. Most notably the mug had a ventriloquist dummy that looked a lot like him. With the black shirt, blue shorts, white and blue straw, yellow gloves, shoes, and even his blue nose.
"Ladies and gentlemen..." Cuphead said. "Step right up and see the amazing ventriloquist mug man. And his friend, the dummy."
"Hey, Dummy, what do you get when you cross an elephant with a fish?" Mugman asked.
"I don't know. I give up." Dummy said.
"Swim trunks,"
"Wow, that joke's a stinker," Dummy said before he laughed mockingly.
The spectators groaned before walking away.
"Oh, that's terrible," the eggplant said.
Cuphead chuckled nervously. "Better jokes come at the end, folks." He said. Then he sighed and put his face in his hand.
Dice frowned. Not because of the terrible performance but because of seeing Cuphead again.
'It was that cup kid. He was the reason everything soured,'
"Let's get one thing straight," Cuphead said to Mugman. "If I'm gonna be your manager, you gotta get some new material."
Suddenly a shadow loomed over Cuphead and Mugman. The brothers looked up and saw Dice with a frown on his face and holding a metal pipe in his hands ready for bashing.
"You...!" Dice seethed.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped... before they smiled.
"King Dice?!" the brothers both said.
"The biggest star in showbiz?!" Cuphead said excitedly.
Dice froze in surprise for a moment before he lowered the pipe and chuckled.
"It's been a long time since someone's called me that," Dice said.
"Where have you been? We haven't heard your radio show in months." Mugman asked.
"Uh, well, I don't have my show anymore," Dice admitted sadly. The pipe clattered after he dropped it and walked back into the alley.
Cuphead and Mugman followed the dice man into the alley.
"What do you mean you don't have your show anymore?" Cuphead asked.
"It's not just the show. I've lost everything." Dice explained. "My money, my glitz, my glamour. I'm all washed up." He collapsed onto his dirty mattress.
"You could sure use a washing up," Dummy said before he laughed mockingly.
"Shh!" Mugman said.
Cuphead walked up to Dice. "Are you kiddin'?" he said, "You're one of the greats! You can easily make a comeback."
Dice sat up. "I can't do it on my own." He said. "I had a falling-out with the boss."
"Well, I don't know who your boss is, but that guy sounds like a real jerk," Cuphead said. "You don't need him. I'll help you. I'm already managing this guy and his dummy."
"In case you're wondering, he's the dummy," Dummy said tilting his head towards Mugman.
"Hey!" Mugman exclaimed.
The dummy laughed mockingly.
"Management?" Dice asked. "What do you know about show business?"
"What do I know about show business? Only everything there is to know." Cuphead said. "I'll give you first-class representation. Besides, what have you got to lose?"
Before Dice could respond, a load of smelly trash sludge fell all over him.
Cuphead looked up and saw a black cat man with a tip-over trash can.
"Whoops. Sorry." The cat man said.
Dice sighed. "Okay, kid. You've got yourself a deal."
Cuphead and Dice shook hands.
The first thing Cuphead did was take Dice to the cottage. Elder Kettle took the dice man's measurements and drew him a bath.
"Take all the time you need Mr. Dice," Kettle said before he turned around. "Leave your clothes on the floor and I'll have them washed. At least the ones we can salvage."
"Thank you, Mr. Kettle," Dice said before he disrobed, sat in the tub, and pulled the curtain around.
Kettle turned around and took the clothes.
Dice sat in the tub and scrubbed himself with the brush lathered with soap. He still had his ring on. Not that he could take it all anyway.
FLASHBACK
Years Ago...
'I'll admit I had a rocky start in Inkwell City. I panhandled so I wouldn't go hungry, and I slept in a shelter most of the time, but at least I wasn't in any danger. At least for a week. That's around when he found me,'
Dice was still wearing a shite button men's shirt, and long purple pants with overall straps. Suddenly he heard a crowd of people screaming. He turned his head and, flying above the streets was The Devil in his dragon form.
The Devil was sniffing the air. "Come out, come out, wherever you are. I know you're close, ~" he said.
Dice dashed for the alleyway and hid himself. He peeked from behind the corner and when the dragon glanced in his direction, he hid again. It was suddenly quiet, after a few seconds, Dice slowly peeked again, and this time came face to face with the devil dragon.
"Hello, ~" The Devil said.
Dice gasped and backed away further into the alleyway.
"Where are you going, fallen harpy?" The Devil asked teasingly. He changed back into his true form, slammed down his pitchfork and iron bars appeared, blocking Dice's escape.
"I-I think you got the wrong guy, mister," Dice said nervously.
"Oh, I know I got the right guy." The Devil said confidently. "I heard from official sources that someone had "flown the coop", so to speak, and I thought I'd let him sweat it out in the real world for a few days before I collect him. And here you are."
Dice backed into a wall as The Devil's shadow loomed over him.
"So tell me, how do you like it down here so far?" The Devil asked. "Having fun being mortal?"
Dice gulped. "Well, to be honest. It stinks." He said. "I just wanted to be number one but so far I feel like a number two."
The Devil chuckled. "Ah, so you enjoy the spotlight, do you? You wanna be adored and live in comfort again," he said.
"Yeah and no d'oh!" Dice said.
"Well, then I have a little proposition you might want to know about. If you're interested..." The Devil said just as his elevator appeared.
'As if he was really giving me a choice. But even if he did, I would've picked it anyway. How hard could it be, I thought. So I stepped into the elevator,'
END OF FLASHBACK
The Kettle family helped Dice to look like his showbiz prime self again. With a tailored purple suit, a polish of his dice head, a clean shave, new shoes, cologne, and his mustache waxed to perfection.
Looking in the mirror, the dice man looked like his best self once again.
Dice's reflection snapped his fingers. "Hey, handsome. Looks like you're ready for the stage." He said.
"Way ahead of ya, reflection," Cuphead said.
A while Later...
Cuphead, Mugman, and Dummy took a blindfolded Dice to a secret spot.
"Wait till ya see this. You're gonna love it!" Cuphead said. Once they were inside, the cup continued. "Okay, you can look now." He said.
Dice took off the blindfold and he found himself in a country barn. The inside of it was decorated to look like a club. With stringed lights, a stage with a red curtain behind it, barrels and hay bales as tables and chairs, and a tiny drink counter.
"Uh..." Dice said.
"It's a club for your big comeback!" Cuphead said.
"Kind of a dump," Dummy said and then laughed mockingly.
"Quiet, you," Mugman said as he glared at the ventriloquist dummy.
"Ugh! I agree with the dummy." Dice said. "But I guess it is better than nothing."
"That's the spirit. Now all we need is a band." Cuphead said.
"Leave that part to me," Dice said before he pulled out a deck of cards from his pocket. He threw several cards out onto the stage and suddenly his playing card band appeared.
Cuphead and Mugman were thrilled and impressed.
"That takes care of that," Dice said. "But I'm a little rusty. Maybe we should do a rehearsal."
"Cuphead! Mugman! Where are you guys?" came a young voice.
The cup ran to the barn door. "Over here!" he called out.
Dice suddenly got a sinking feeling. The little devil comes strolling in his kitten disguise.
"Sorry I'm late," Bendy said. "I was feeding Big Steve and the morning got away from me. Anyway, what are you guys up... to?" His expression went blank when he saw the dice man.
They looked at each other.
"Oh, it's so exciting. We're helping King Dice here make a comeback." Cuphead said. "Oh, Dicey, this is our buddy-"
"Bendall," Dice interjected flatly.
"Dice," Bendy replied and crossed his arms.
Cuphead looked between the little devil and the dice Man. "You... two know each other?" he asked.
"We've crossed paths before," Bendy said. His frown quickly changed into a smile. "But no need to get into that. We're helping Dice make a comeback, huh?"
"Yeah," Mugman replied.
"That's great. So, what are we doing first?" Bendy asked.
"Dice was about to get on stage and rehearse," Cuphead said.
"Great, hey Dice, let's you and I talk shop for a second in the back," Bendy suggested. "From one entertainer to another," he grabbed Dice's hand.
"I don't I need to— ah," Dice said before the little devil squeezed his hand tightly.
"Oh, but I insist," Bendy said coolly.
"Okay, if you insist," Dice said.
"Excuse us, fellas," Bendy said to the cups.
"Sure thing pal, you guys talk, and we'll get the drinks ready," Cuphead said.
Bendy and Dice walked into the dressing room, all smiles before Bendy pushed Dice down.
"What's going on here?" Bendy integrated. "What are you doing with the cups?"
"What am I doing with the cups? What are you doing?" Dice asked. "Since when are you buddies with them? Does your father know?"
"For a couple of months now," Bendy said. "He doesn't like it, but yes, he knows it. And last I checked he threw you out."
"He didn't throw me out, I was just... let go of my own choice."
"Uh-huh, sure," Bendy said sarcastically.
"Darn right sure."
"Well, if you're here to take Cuphead's soul for my dad, you can just forget it. The cup is mine and I'm not letting anyone, especially not some wash-up entertainer, take him from me."
"First of all, harsh even for you. Second, who said anything about taking your cup's soul? I just want to get my fame back, that's all."
Bendy raised one eyebrow with his arms crossed.
"It's true. Cross my heart." Dice said and his right hand. "I'm not that interested in getting back with my former boss. Trust me,"
"Not now. Maybe later." Bendy said. "You wanna get your fame back? Fine by me. Honestly, I missed your show too."
"Is that right?" Dice asked.
"Mmhmm." Bendy hummed. "I'll stay and watch you."
"Sure thing, kid," Dice said.
"You get it, Dice? I'll be watching you." Bendy said and emphasized his point with the watching hand gesture.
"Knock, knock," came Cuphead's voice. He peeked into the dressing room. "You guys done yet?"
"Yepp, I think he's prepped enough now, right?" Bendy asked with a smile.
"Yeah, I'm ready, boss," Dice said.
"Great, see ya on stage, Dicey," Cuphead said before he left.
Bendy gave him one more warning look before he left the room.
Dice gulped nervously before he left for the stage.
Cuphead stood on the stage with a wired microphone in his hand.
"And now, back from a long tour of the gutter, it's King Dice!" the cup exclaimed before he handed the mic to Dice.
The band started to play "Roll the Dice".
"All right. Here goes nothing." Dice said before he started to sing.
"Now, I've seen good times I've had hard ones too, I've seen the highest highs And the bluest of blues~"
Cuphead, Mugman, and Bendy watched Dice perform from the floor.
"Now times can be real hard, Yeah, there are no guarantees. Oh, they can knock you down, And leave you livin' on your knees~" Dice sang.
The dice man's voice carried out outside the barn and people nearby took notice. Children stopped playing their games and Sally Stageplay and her husband abandoned their picnic to run to the barn.
"When you've nothing left to lose, You place your money down. Gotta try and turn your life around,~"
Even the two elephants drove their fishing boat out of the lake and overland to get to the barn.
"If you need a second chance, Take heed of my advice. Brother, you gotta roll the dice~" Dice sang with a shuffle.
"Brother, you gotta roll the dice,~ Yeah," Dice sang with a chuckle.
Spectators applauded and cheered. Neither Dice nor the three boys had realized that the singing had drawn in a crowd until they heard the cheers. The boys smiled.
"Whoo, whoo-hoo!" One spectator cheered.
Dice smiled and held up the mic. "Oh! It's great to be back in the spotlight." He said. "But I could never have done this without you, the little people. Give yourselves a big round of applause."
The crowd cheered and more people stepped into the barn.
"Oh, King Dice is amazing." One female hippo said.
"He's the best," one wolf child said.
Dice glanced over at the little devil who gave him a thumbs up.
'Everything was falling into place. There was just one thing missing.'
FLASHBACK
'Without even realizing it, I was falling for my boss. I know, it's really cliche but there was just something about him. His passion, his power, his sense of rhythm. But I never thought he'd fall for someone like me. An angel turned mortal and then made a demon working under his thumb. But one day, he proved me wrong.'
Dice got another makeover after he became a demon for The Devil. He now had a purple suit, fancy shoes, and a matching purple bowtie.
Dice was rehearsing in the Underworld theatre for his new show up in the surface world, courtesy of The Devil when said Devil showed up.
"Hi'ya boss, what can I do for you?" Dice asked.
"I'm not here to ask for anything, I just want to watch," The Devil said before he sat on a chair in the front row.
Dice shrugged and started singing. After he finished, the big devil approached him on stage. The dice man felt his cheeks burn though he tried to hide it.
"Hi," Dice said.
"Hi," The Devil said. "You know, I think talent is a very attractive feature especially if it's a music talent." The big devil started undoing Dice's bowtie while he was still wearing it.
Dice gulped, "Y-You think so?" he asked.
"I do," The Devil said. "If I recall correctly, you said you were quite popular, were you not?" he slowly slipped the bow tie off Dice.
"I-I- I was."
"Because of your voice?"
"Usually."
"Makes sense to me. Did you have anyone special?" The Devil asked as he circled his finger over Dice's collarbone.
"N-No. I wasn't really in the market for that stuff." Dice admitted.
"Why? No one good enough for you?"
"No," Dice said as he took a step back. "I just didn't really feel anything for any one of them."
"Feeling like..." The Devil stated as he stepped forward. "Your heart racing. Your cheeks burning. Something like that?"
"Yeah, exactly."
"Kinda like the way you've been around me lately?"
Dice went silent.
"Don't think I haven't noticed how you look at me or how you react."
Dice looked away, not sure what to do or say but The Devil took his cheek and had Dice face him again.
"You wanna how I feel about it?" The Devil asked.
"Sure," Dice said.
The Devil pulled Dice forward by the purple coat and kissed him.
Dice slowly wrapped his arms around the big devil and deepened the kiss.
'It wasn't my first kiss, just for the record, but it was definitely one of my favorites. The best ones came later but for the sake of the little ones, I won't go into detail about it.
END OF FLASHBACK
Meanwhile...
In the Underworld conference room, Stickler was giving his annual ledger review while using graphs and a pointer stick. The Devil sat at the end of the long conference table with Henchman sitting to his left.
"And furthermore, there is the issue of decreasing revenue in the first quarter as a result of numerous failures by upper management." Stickler said.
The Devil was so bored, so disinterested, so done, he was having trouble just keeping his eyes open or sitting upright.
"Summoning the finest demons..." Stickler continued. "...irresponsibly incinerating the finest demons.
The big devil glanced over to Henchman and realized the purple demon had fallen asleep.
As evident by the snoring, mumbling, and muttering. Henchman's face fell to the table waking him up... but then he just went back to sleep in his hand.
"Summoning the second-finest demons." Stickler continued.
The Devil groaned and stood from his chair.
"What is happening around here?!" the big devil yelled and slammed his hand to the table.
Henchman muttered as he woke up and straightened his back.
"When did everything get so boring?" The Devil asked angrily. "I mean, we got Stickler up here talking about audits, for crying out loud."
"I am the auditor." Stickler said.
"You, stop talking." The Devil shouted. He sighed. "This place used to have style. What happened to the glitz? The pizzazz? The razzle-dazzle? Hmm? Hmm?!"
He looked at both demons but neither of them had answers.
The big devil sighed. "One of you had better come up with some razzle-dazzle right now!" he ordered.
Stickler just stood there and blinked.
"Uh... Uh?" Henchman smiled awkwardly with his elbow on the table.
The Devil groaned and slammed his face against the table defeatedly.
"According to the graph at which I currently gesture, fiscal..." Stickler said as he pointed out the graph chart.
Henchman leaned in closer to his boss and whispered. "Uh, boss, let's get out of here and take the night off."
The Devil lifted his head to look back at the purple demon.
"There's a hip new club I've been hearin' about," Henchman whispered.
"...found in next year's budget requires additional cuts..." Stickler continued.
"Shh." The Devil shushed with a smile. He chuckled quietly.
Henchman chuckled too as he and the boss tiptoed away.
"...of approximately 23.7%. Under the current management structure..." Stickler said.
It was nighttime now in the surface world, and business was booming in the barn club. In just a few hours, Dice's singing had drawn many people to the barn. Some had even driven the cars down from the city and red carpet was rolled out from the entrance complete with velvet ropes hanging from yellow rope barriers.
"There are no guarantees.~ Oh, they can knock you down And leave you livin' on your knees...~" Dice sang.
Bendy and Cuphead were sitting at a table watching the show with a few spectators when the little devil a chill crept on his back and his hair stood on end. He knew what that feeling meant.
"Hang tight here," Bendy whispered to Cuphead. "I'll be right back." Then he gave the cup a small nuzzle to the cheek.
"Sure thing buddy," Cuphead whispered with a blush.
Bendy smiled before he walked away.
Outside the barn, The Devil and Henchman appeared in a puff of smoke. The big devil frowned when he saw the building they traveled to.
"This is your hip new club? It's a barn!" The Devil said.
Henchman stuttered but before he could form an explanation, the big devil put his hand over his mouth.
"Wait. Shut up." The Devil interjected. "That music. That voice! I must see who that is."
Henchman cracked the door to the barn open and he and The Devil peeked inside.
"...of my advice.~" Dice sang, "Brother, you gotta roll the dice. One more time! Brother, you gotta...~"
"King Dice?!" The Devil exclaimed.
"Oh boy!" Henchman said happily.
"So this is where he's been hiding the whole time." The Devil said.
"I'm gonna take a short break, but we'll be right back," Dice said before he left the stage for the dressing room.
The spectators applauded and cheered.
"You, wait here." The Devil ordered Henchman.
Bendy spotted Henchman at the door but stayed in the crowd.
"There's Henchman but where's..." Bendy wondered. Just then he felt the chill again and he looked to the stage. That feeling seemed to be pulling inside him, compelling him towards the stage. "Dice!" he gasped.
Dice scatted as he turned the faucet to wash his hands. He glanced into the mirror and noticed a tall, dark, familiar silhouette behind his reflection.
"Hello, Dice." Came The Devil's voice.
Dice gasped and he turned around.
"B-Big D?" he asked.
"You know the last time I saw you, I said that if you failed to capture that cup, I would destroy you." The Devil said ominously. He pointed his flaming pitchfork at the dice man.
Instead of cowering, Dice simply smiled. "It's funny you bring that up. You're gonna love this." He said. He walked over to the curtain and pointed out a table in the barn. "Look who's sitting right over there."
"So then I get right up in his face, and I says, "Hey! I ain't too worried about it."" Cuphead said as he told a story to six people.
The small crowd laughed.
"Hey! Let's get another round over here, huh?" Cuphead called out.
Dice pulled back the curtain unaware of the little devil standing on the other side.
"The cup thinks he's my manager," Dice said to The Devil. "All I have to do now is get him to sign this little business contract, which gives ownership of his soul directly to you." He held up the paper labeled 'Contract'.
Bendy's eyes widened, and he frowned as he listened to the dice man's words.
The Devil looked at Dice in surprise. "Wait. So you've been working on capturing that cup this whole time?" he asked.
"Of course. Come on, man." Dice admitted before he pocketed the paper. "You're talking to your number one, remember?"
Bendy's fists shook, and his fur started to liquefy. He wanted to transform and teach Dice a lesson then and there. But the spectators would've seen and started panicking. Just then, Bendy had another idea that made him smirk, and he tiptoed back to Cuphead. He whispered into the cup's ear.
Unaware of the little devil's doing, the big devil considered his options. Finally, he pulled his pitchfork back and doused the flame.
"Okay." The Devil said. "I'll give you one last chance. Thrill me."
"Be right back, boss," Dice said before he left the dressing room and walked over to Cuphead's table.
"Hey, hey! Dicey, baby!" Cuphead said when he spotted Dice. Bendy was nowhere to be seen but the six other people were still laughing around him.
"Dice!" the black cat man said.
"Ooh, King Dice!" the male elephant said.
"Excuse me, folks. I need to have a little word with my manager." Dice said.
"Yeah, give us a minute, will ya?" Cuphead said to the crowd.
"You bet." The tuba man said.
"Sure thing, pal." The black cat man said.
"So handsome!" the granny elephant said.
The crowd left and Dice sat at the table with Cuphead.
"Now, what can I do for ya?" Cuphead asked.
"Well, you've done so much for me. I just wanna make sure I do right by you." Dice said before he brought out the contract. "I whipped up this little contract between us. You'll officially be my manager when you sign it."
"I'm touched. What a beautiful gesture." Cuphead said. "But sorry, kid." He tore up the contract. "It's over."
Dice's jaw dropped in shock.
"Listen, I hate to break it to ya, but you were just an opening act. That's our real star." Cuphead said before he pointed towards the stage.
On stage, Mugman sat on a tall stool with Dummy.
"You know, Dummy, sometimes you're a little too smart for your own good," Mugman said.
"Well, that makes one of us," Dummy said.
The spectators laughed.
"Hey! Are you sayin' I'm dumb?" Mugman said offended.
"Why state the obvious?" Dummy replied and then he laughed mockingly.
The spectators laughed.
"I don't understand. Everything was falling into place." Dice said dispirited.
"Hey, Dicey, it's nothing personal. It's just showbiz." Cuphead said. "My business partner said this was the right call."
"Your what?" Dice wondered.
Bendy stepped out from behind Cuphead with a knowing smile on his face.
"Right now the music biz is out. Comedy's in." Cuphead continued before he walked away. "Take care of yourself, kid."
Bendy waited till Cuphead was out of earshot. "It's like I told you, Dice, the cup is mine and I'll stop anyone from trying to take him from me," he said. "Maybe you can be the number one bum back in the gutta'. See ya," Then he walked away to join Cuphead.
From behind the curtain, The Devil and Henchman saw everything.
The big devil groaned. "Bendall." He seethed. Then he sighed. "Let's go, Henchman."
The Devil and Henchman out the door and down the carpet.
"Well, this night is ruined." The Devil said. He sighed defeatedly. "What now, Henchman?" he asked.
"Uh, well, we still gotta finish that ledger review with Stickler," Henchman said.
The Devil groaned.
The two demons stepped into the underworld elevator.
Dice, hanging his head low, walked by but didn't even glance at the elevator.
The Devil noticed him and stopped Henchman from closing the door. The big devil quickly caught up with the dice man and gently grabbed his shoulder.
"Wait." He said.
Dice turned his head and looked surprised.
"Look, you failed me." The Devil said plainly. "But you've got something that's been sorely lacking from the organization for too long. I need your glitz, your pizzazz. I need your razzle-dazzle." He said as he shook Dice by the coat.
"Oh. Well, you've come to the right place." Dice said confidently.
"Splendid." The Devil said as he beckoned the dice man to follow him, "First we're going to put an end to that ledger review and replace it with a musical variety hour. It'll be gorgeous. I've already got my costumes."
Dice smiled as he entered the elevator with the demons.
FLASHBACK
Years Ago...
The Devil and Dice were in the conference room.
"You what!?" The Devil yelled.
"I said, I met your son's mom up in heaven," Dice said nervously.
"My son's mother is gone and can't come back." The Devil said ominously.
"Except she isn't, and she could if she wanted to," Dice said. "I've seen her and sometimes she would ride a cloud down to watch you and the prince when you're in the surface world."
The Devil slammed his fists on the table, "If she really is 'around' and an Angel, I want her as far away from Bendall as possible. What if she tries to take him from me?"
"She can't as long as he's a demon," Dice said.
"But my son is a child. A reckless child who if given half a chance will risk his life to get whatever he wants, and he'll definitely want to meet his mother if she were within reach!" The Devil said before he took his pitchfork and walked away. "I'll just have to limit his outings. No one, especially some angel woman, is taking my son from me again!"
END OF FLASHBACK
The Next Morning...
Bendy was throwing a ham down from a bucket to Big Steve in the pen. The walls were tall, so the little devil used a ladder to reach the top.
"How you do you like your pen, big guy?" Bendy asked.
Big Steve gurgled in response.
"Hehe, okay, I'll be back for ya later," Bendy said before he started climbing down.
One of the rums broke under his foot and he fell back with a yelp. He was about to hit the ground, but a pair of arms caught him, and the bucket landed on his head over his eyes.
"Whoa, thanks for the catch," Bendy said.
"You're welcome, little boss," came a charismatic voice.
Bendy flinched and then lifted the bucket to see who had caught him.
It was Dice with a smug look on his face and he was wearing a purple robe.
"Hi'ya," Dice said.
"What the?!" Bendy stammered as he tried to get out of Dice's arms, but the dice man just held him in a tight hug. "What are you doing here?" he asked demandingly.
"Guess you haven't heard the good news yet," Dice said. "As of last night, King Dice is The Devil's number one again! And he's ready to roll."
Bendy growled.