Updated (08/12/2022)
Chapter 6 "Homebound"
Buddy walking. Singing a merry but out of sync song. Giggling. Teasingly pushing and shoving each other. Cuphead and Mugman entered the next room and saw another wooden sign in front of them. They walked over to the sign.
"Didja miss it?" Mugman read aloud.
"Hey!" Cuphead glared at Mugman who was surprised. "I wanna read it."
Mugman smiled apologetically and backed away from the sign.
"Didja miss it?" Cuphead read aloud with a smile. "Spider Bake Sale down and to the right."
"Nnnnope!" Mugman shook his head with pride, and Cuphead giggled in reaction.
Cuphead continued to read. "Come eat food made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders. Huh! Swell!" He smiled and, with his brother, walked on merrily…. Until both their eyes opened in shock realization.
"W-what…" Mugman nervously looked at Cuphead. "W-what was that caboosie word?..."
"Eheh…" Cuphead forced a smile and shrugged his shoulders. "Prolly no biggie pal."
"H-how do you know?!" Mugman squeaked and his pupils trembled in nervousness.
"Do ya really wanna know?!" Cuphead whimpered as his pupils trembled in fear.
"NO?!" Mugman's pupils shrank and trembled even more as his body shivered.
After taking a deep breath, they both assumed their signature buddy hug and took a step forward… but then their faces became more and more scared (they started to sweat more, their bodies shivered, and their pupils shrank), and they put that forward foot a rubber-squeaky step backwards, then took another step, and then scrambled running back to the sign.
-Made by spiders, for spiders, OF. SPIDERS.
The boys made two huge shocked wheezing gasps.
"Wait I don't get it…" Cuphead raised an eyebrow and narrowed his glare at the sign to see if he read it right.
"Wait what…" Mugman glared annoyed at Cuphead.
"Made by spiders yes… but then for spiders…" Cuphead scratched his straw.
Mugman grunted furiously and urgently he splayed his hands at Cuphead. "WE'VE BEEN-!"
"Shush Mugs!" Cuphead capped Mugman's mouth using his index finger (so it looked like Mugman was kissing it while glaring shocked at Cuphead). "I'll crack the code."
Mugman swatted Cuphead's wrist away while grunting. "What code?!" His eyes squeezed up in cringe and confusion. "Yer reading comprehension?"
"Yes my reading comblablahsion." Cuphead was opening and closing his 'talking' puppet hand as he said 'comblahblahsion' mockingly. "Look if yer peeled eyes can understand what this thingamajig can say then so can I." He pointed his thumb to himself. "Just gimme a minute."
Mugman sighed and folded his arms annoyed. "At least ya wanna get your brain milk stirrin'."
"So… made by spiders… as in the spiders cooked up the donuts and this stuff right?" In 'stuff' Cuphead pointed to his flagon of Spider Cider.
"Yep." With bored eyes, Mugman said unenthusiastically.
"For spiders'… is there supposed tuh be a… no I mean what?" Cuphead glared even more confused.
"Put a 'made' in this part." Mugman tapped on the sign the space between the comma and 'for' on the sign.
"So… made by spiders, made for spiders?" Cuphead looked at Mugman.
"Mmmhmmm!" Mugman nodded while staring unamused. "And…?" He raised an eyebrow, encouraging Cuphead to continue.
"And made of-!" Cuphead backed away, and made a wheezing gasp as his eyes shrank in shock.
"NOW YA GET IT?!" Mugman resumed his worried look.
"WE'VE BEEN EATING SPIDERS?!" They yelled at each other as they squished their noses together and stared into each other's terrified eyes.
As they kept looking into each other's intensely shivering eyes, they made synchronized 5-second long wheezing gasps.
"Well that explains the gooeyness!" Cuphead smiled at Mugman, who also smiled back.
"And the crunchiness!" Mugman pointed his index finger up as he made a point. "But this stuff?!" He grabbed the flagon from Cuphead's hand and pointed at it while showing it to his brother.
They both glared at the flagon in cringe, and then spat their tongue out while looking away in disgust (as if they smelled horrible garbage).
Suddenly, close to Mugman, the sound of three croaks together with hopping approached.
"Whoa!" Cuphead and Mugman backed away in caution, and saw three Froggits looking at them.
"Oh! Okay." Cuphead looked at Mugman. "Do your thing Mugs!"
"O-oh!" Mugman cleared his throat. "Hey buddies!" He waved and smiled really wide and a little forced. "Lookin' happy and jumpy today!"
Cuphead snickered while looking and Mugman.
"What?" Confused, Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.
Cuphead made a cheeky grin. "'Hoppy'… and jumpy." He spoke in a squeaky voice that sounded like he was laughing at his own joke.
Starting from a snicker, Mugman laughed his heart out together with Cuphead.
"You can make jokes but ya can't fix yer comblahblahsion." Placing his hands on his hips, raising an eyebrow, Mugman smirked at Cuphead.
"Hey I'm the cool and funny one." Smiling with confidence, closing his eyes, Cuphead pointed his thumb at himself. "Yer the smart and cute one remembah?" He winked and pointed at Mugman.
Mugman's smirk relaxed into a flattered and grateful smile at Cuphead. The boys looked at the Froggits and caught them smiling at them.
The right Froggit croaked. "I have heard you two are quite merciful for a couple of humans." He said.
Cuphead snickered and looked at Mugman with a very cheeky smile.
"Bro nohoho!" Mugman giggled and then smirked.
Cuphead giggled. "Say it." He poked Mugman's left cheek, which caused him to snicker as if he were tickled.
"Didja mean…" Mugman's smile stretched wide. "'Cupple'…" He tapped on his own ceramic clinking head twice (meanwhile Cuphead's smile grew really really big and tears came out of his eyes). "…of humans?"
They both hollered in laughter that it echoed along the halls.
"EYYYY!" Cuphead and Mugman pointed their fingers and winked at each other.
The Froggit stared and croaked unamused. "I did not intend that pun." He croaked again.
The leftmost Froggit croaked raising his head up as if he were superior. "I warned you about it, but you never liste-"
The middle Froggit croaked and raised her head a little higher than the left. "Have you seen our fourth Froggit around here?"
The leftmost Froggit sighed in disappointment and then he glared annoyed at the middle Froggit.
Confused, Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other non-verbally asking if they knew the answer.
"Uhh, we've met about a dozen other fellas along the way." Cuphead smiled at the middle Froggit.
"Who're ya lookin' fer?" Mugman smiled as he crouched and leaned closer to the Froggits.
The leftmost Froggit croaked he splayed his left foot. "We're lookin fer'-"
The middle Froggit croaked she splayed her left foot. "We're lookin fer the one who usually hops and watches over the candy."
The right Froggit croaked. "We heard from everyone that some TWO TON SCUMBAGS ATE ALL OF IT!" In anger, he leaned in towards Mugman's face (who was shocked and leaned away), but then three flies flew out of the Froggit in the process (which Mugman and the Froggit's eyes followed).
The three Froggits had their eyes locked onto one fly each and then suddenly they spit their long tongues out and caught one each.
"Do you know who did it?!" The right Froggit demanded.
Cuphead and Mugman (who stood up quickly) looked at the Froggits offended (eyes widened and mouths open) and their eyes began to well up.
"Hey!" Cuphead's teary eyes glared at the right Froggit as he and Mugman hugged each other, while the latter cuddled up and cried with his face buried on Cuphead's right shoulder. "Those two ton scumbags have feelings too ya know!"
"Yeah!" With some tears whipped off his face as he turned, Mugman glared half-furious and devastated at the same Froggit. "Whoever those two ton scumbag dingdongs were!"
Cuphead's eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Mugman's right stomach with his left elbow while glaring at him.
"Ow!" Mugman looked at Cuphead and noticed his glare. "Sorry." He whispered while he rubbed his right stomach with his left hand and looked back with his pure, innocent, and apologetic eyes.
"Well!" The left Froggit croaked he raised his right index finger. "If ya see-"
The right Froggit croaked and raised her right index finger. "If ya see those scumbags… tell 'im we hate 'im, but wish he enjoyed the candy."
The left Froggit sighed and looked down defeated. "No one ever listens to me."
Cuphead and Mugman frowned in pity at the left Froggit, looked at each other, smiled, let go of each other, and looked at the left Froggit.
"We'll let em know." Cuphead placed his hands on his hips.
"And I'm pretty sure they're very sorry fer what they did." Gently closed eyes, scratching the back of his head, Mugman made a big apologetic and sheepish smile at the same left Froggit.
"Yeah!" Cuphead closed his eyes and beamed. "Whoever those scumbag ding dong doofuses were."
Mugman's eyes widened in surprise, and he elbowed Cuphead's left stomach with his right elbow while glaring at him.
"Ow!" He glared back at Mugman and rubbed his left stomach. "Hey you started it." He loudly whispered.
The left Froggit squeaked in surprise. "You!" He started to tear up. "You actually answered me!"
The right Froggit croaked and smiled. "We'll tell everyone you friendly humans are helping."
The middle Froggit croaked and smiled. "And thanks for letting us know where our friend is."
Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other.
"No problem." Cuphead smiled.
"Froggy buddy." Mugman giggled.
The Froggits squeaked in surprise and blushed.
Mugman's giggle turned into laughter as he and Cuphead buddy walked out of the room to the exit at the east, while the blushing Froggits just watched them go.
"Ya know…" Cuphead smugged. "Those two were probably
cool scumbag ding dong doofuses."
Tilting his mouth higher, Mugman laughed louder. "The best coolest troublemaking scumbag doofuses buddy!" He looked at Cuphead with a big smile.
"AND ding dongs." Cuphead said as he closed his eyes raised his index finger
"
AND ding dongs!" Mugman said emphasizing 'and' and imitating his closed eyes and index finger raise.
They both laughed as they walked on and on and on and laughed and on and on about… they forgot why, and looked at each other with raised eyebrows asking why they were, but they shrugged their shoulders while continuing to laugh and laugh and never letting it stop… until the ground they stepped on gave way and their laughing cut off into screaming.
The walls rang and bounced with the loud terrified screams of Cuphead and Mugman as they fell and fell, hugged tighter and tighter, and screamed louder and louder than they should be, until...
Grunting, Cuphead and Mugman landed sitting on something crunching but cushy. When they opened their eyes, they saw a bed of red leaves beneath them that stretched left to right wide.
"ADVENTAH!" Mugman said sprightly as he punched both fists to the air and made his purest, biggest, and cutest smile while looking at Cuphead.
Gasping, Eyes glimmering, Cuphead smiled full of pride while covering his cheeks. "Okay okay…" Closed eyes, He pushed his 'calm down' hands twice. "You stole that on purpose but… YOU MAKE ME SO PROUD MUGSY!" His eyes opened with starry pupils as he bubbly shook his fists in front of him.
Something slow-gasped in awe in front of Cuphead and behind Mugman, and in caution the latter two snapped a look towards that gasp.
A bipedal ball-shaped monster with one eye, two horns on the upper side of its ball (not head because it could not be distinguished), and a scary sharp-toothed smile that looked like it wanted to eat them.
"I MUST HAVE THAT!" He said with a slimy hissing low voice (like Smeagol).
It thrusted its body forward, unleashing a set of three energy rings from largest to smallest that floated out with alien blaster sounds, and the rings flew towards the boys in a curvy swerving manner.
The boys screamed in fright (their bodies shivered and their straws turned into exclamation points).
"Okay he's creepy." Cuphead said to Mugman.
"Yeah!" Mugman nodded as he gritted his teeth.
Running, they jumped over the energy rings that swerved from below upwards, then ducked under another set of energy rings from above downwards, and then ran under the one-eyed monster, accidentally tripping him in the process.
"OW!" The one-eyed monster fell forward with its eye wide open in shock and it hit the ground. "OOOOWWWW! RUUUDE!" It glared with a teary red-bloodshot eye.
Hugging, Cuphead and Mugman kept running, but then tripped on something large, and they grunted as they landed their loud clanging ceramic heads on the floor. Groaning and rubbing their heads, they look behind them at the thing they tripped on, and there on the floor sprouted out a large orange carrot monster that had a squiggly toothless smile.
"HA! Kaarmaaaaa!" The carrot monster spoke with a girly voice (she sang 'karmaaa' in a high note as if she was calling 'diinneeeerr!').
Cuphead and Mugman glared at it a bit disturbed.
"Your smile doesn't have teeth." Cuphead said.
"Ohoho! Plants don't have teeth dummy." The carrot monster said.
The carrot monster for a moment retracted back to the ground and then, from its head, shot out a volcano-like eruption of cabbages, carrots, tomatoes, and other vegetables.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed, trembled with straw excalamation points, and squeezed their hug tighter.
"HEALTHY FOOD!" Mugman screamed as he pointed at the falling vegetables.
"RUUUNNN!" Cuphead yelled to the ceiling.
Leaving behind a white dust cloud, Cuphead and Mugman scrammed.
"WAIT!" The Carrot monster yelled.
"TELL ME HOW YOU DID THAT!" The one-eyed monster snarled and ran furiously after the boys.
They ran to the upper left corner where the doorway was while swerving left and right, and jumping and ducking while trying to dodge the falling vegetables and the swerving energy rings. They went through the doorway and once in, climbed the set of stairs going up, and then dropped down into a hole which led out of an elevated opening on the wall of the main floor and landed on their feet. Together with holding hands they ran forward, but Mugman stopped, anchored Cuphead's hand to a stop in the process, and read the sign on their left.
"There is only one switch." Mugman read aloud.
"Hey!" Cuphead glared at Mugman, who looked back in surprise, for not letting him read.
"Don't 'hey' me, we're in a rush!" Mugman splayed his free hand in the air as he glared back at Cuphead.
Something popped from the ground behind them, and the cautious boys looked to see what it was
"You have not eaten your greens!" The carrot monster called to them.
Then, the one eyed ball monster popped out of the elevated opening on the wall. "TELL ME!" It ran after them with its creepy sharp-toothed smile.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed, hugged each other tighter, and then ran away.
"I like the Froggits!" Cuphead whimpered as he smiled nervously while watching where he was running. 'They make sweller pals!"
"Me too!" Mugman whimpered and then looked around. "I don't see it anywhere!"
"See what?!" Cuphead raised an eyebrow at Mugman.
"The switch dum dum!" Irritated, Mugman yelled at Cuphead.
"Hey don't call me dum dum" Cuphead poked the middle of Mugman's nose. "Dum dum!" He poked it again. "And the switch for what?!" He splayed that same hand in the air.
"For that dum dum!" Mugman pointed to their right.
On their far right corner was another steel sharp arrowheaded fence-gate that protruded from the ground.
"You called that gate a dum dum?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
"No! I mean-!" Mugman raised an eyebrow in confusion, and then giggled. "Stop that dum dum!" He booped Cuphead's tiny nose.
"N-ho way dum dum!" Cuphead smiled back and booped Mugman's nose.
They stopped on the wall and turned around. The one eyed bipedal ball monster was running towards them, and the carrot monster was digging their path towards them.
"Uhh So what's the plan dum dum?" While looking around, Cuphead booped Mugman's nose again.
Mugman glanced left and right quickly. "See those cracks on the floors dum dum?" He booped Cuphead's nose again.
Cuphead glanced left and right and saw the cracks. "Yeah dum dum." He booped Mugman's nose.
"One of 'em must have the switch dum dum!" Mugman said as he booped Cuphead's nose again.
Monsters were making their own noises as they closed in.
"Last one to find it is the real dum dum!" Cuphead booped his nose.
"You're on dum dum!" Mugman booped Cuphead's nose.
"Boop!" They both booped their noses and immediately dashed away in opposite directions (Cuphead left, Mugman right) while leaving behind a large dustcloud.
With a big excited smile, Cuphead dove headfirst and with hands together pointing to the ground like it was a pool and he crashed through the ground screaming "YAAAHOOO!"
Meanwhile, with a nervous smile, Mugman stopped running right before the cracked land and stepped his tiptoe on it, and it immediately gave way making Mugman fall spinning clockwise screaming in terror until he hit the pile of leaves below. After a few seconds of laying, he pushed himself off the bed, shook his body off of the leaves (which also rustled as he did), and looked around the tight-spaced room.
Mugman grunted. "Dagnabit. No switcheroo in sight."
"No." A woman's voice said beside him.
Mugman shivered and snapped a look to his right.
"But I see someone who needs a healthy diet." The orange carrot monster with a crooked smile said on the leaf pile.
Mugman screamed, his uvula trembled, his tongue was crooked, and his eyes popped out looking at the menacingly laughing carrot monster. He jumped up into the air, His feet bicycle-pedaled three times on the air and then he dashed away to the exit on the right.
"WAIT!" The carrot monster yelled.
Mugman screamed in terror as he ran up the stairs, but as he kept running Cuphead's screaming could be heard starting from soft quickly going loud, and before he knew it they slammed face front into each other (with loud ceramic clanging) and they stayed like that midair.
"Wnnnnh hufff tuh stup rmmmnnmmm tuh ich otha lnnnk zis." Cuphead groaned with his side mouth.
"Whnnnnt?" Mugman's muffled sidemouth voice.
Cuphead groaned. "Mmm ssmmmd, wnnnh huff tuh stup rmmnnmm" Mugman gently moved off of Cuphead's face. "to each other like this."
Mugman tilted his head to the right looking behind Cuphead and his eyes bulged in shock at what he saw.
"STARRY EYES STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!" Three one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.
Cuphead tilted his head to the right looking behind Mugman and his eyes too bulged in shock.
"EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!" A mob of carrot monsters came digging quickly towards them.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed, squeezed their hugs on each other, bicycle-pedaled on the air three times and then dashed away to the hall heading downwards leaving a white dust cloud behind. Then, the mobs of carrot monsters from the left and the one-eyed monsters on the right merged to the hall down and chased after the boys.
Screaming and hugging, Cuphead and Mugman popped out once more from the elevated window on the wall, landed on the main floor, and then ran away from that window that was soon flooding with the a mob of monsters coming out.
"Can we buddy search instead?" Hugging Mugman looked at Cuphead. "I don't wanna split."
"Then who's the real dum dum?" Hugging Cuphead asked with a raised eyebrow.
"Can't we both be?!" Mugman tugged his hug down a little as he pleaded.
While continuing to run, Cuphead and Mugman stared into space in thought about what Mugman just said.
"That's… actually a swell idea." Cuphead smiled at Mugman.
"I AM the smart one!" Mugman beamed and punched his right fist to the air.
"Yes you are pal!" Cuphead made a matching beaming smile.
They turned left to the pit towards the middle of the upper row and cannonballed together crashing through the floor and screaming with joyous thrill; Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut while Mugman was eyes-open looking up crying and both of them were squeeze-hugging each other as they fell and fell and fell… 'til they landed on a bed of loudly crunching red leaves. They got up and like wild-dogs shook their bodies off of leaves.
They looked forward, and gasped with gaping smiles as they saw a golden switch on the wall. They bubbly giggled as they ran towards it and pulled it down together, which then caused a loud click and then a loud sound swords sheathing from above.
"STARRY EYES STARRY EYES!" The one-eyed monsters muttered as they fell from the ceiling.
Carrot monsters popped up from the ground. "EAT YOUR VEGETABLES!"
The carrot monsters that popped out made Cuphead and Mugman scream in fright and then run away bubbly laughing to the doorway next to the switch behind them.
Like before, Cuphead and Mugman popped out of the elevated window, landed on the main floor, and ran away laughing side by side towards the gate on the lower right which was now open.
In the next room, there was a bipedal standing cockroach-like monster with only two arms with crab claws and two flat feet shaped like clown shoes.
"Woah!" Cuphead and Mugman stomped their heels to a screeching stop right before the cockroach monster.
The cockroach monster was doing the arm wave dance move. "Oh! Hiya!" It waved its claw hand while bending his knees.
Cuphead and Mugman smiled. "Hi!" They waved.
But then, a large rumbling could be heard from behind them.
"STARRY EYES! STARRY EYE-VEGETABLES! VEGETABLE- STARRY EYES!" The mob of carrot monsters and one-eyed ball monsters were running towards them.
Cuphead and Mugman yelled in fright and then ran away.
The cockroach monster was just dancing happily singing "La la la la la la la la-" When suddenly the mob approached him. "RREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!" It shrieked like a rat as its body trembled.
Holding hands, they kept running and running down to the next room away from the mob of monsters that were chasing after them.
"AAAAAAAGGH AAAaAAGH!" Cuphead and Mugman screamed.
"ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA-" Cuphead punched their holding hands to the air.
Mugman looked at his brother in surprise curiosity, then open-mouth smiled and then held up their holding hands while yelling "ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA"
Cuphead and Mugman ran and ran as they continued to yell their battle cries to the ceiling, until they encountered a couple of blubbing slimes in their path, and their battle cries turned into screams as they approached. The slimes launched the same sludge balls above that exploded into eight smaller sludges fireworks.
Cuphead and Mugman, still hand in hand, front flipped together over the slimes and under the tiny falling slime balls before they reached them.
They landed on their feet, and then turned right going deeper into the room, but gasped as they saw another metal-speared gate blocking the next room. Mugman looked around frantically, and smiled as he saw to his right a stone placard on the wall.
"This way!" Mugman ran as he pulled Cuphead's hand who stumbled a bit but then started to run alongside him.
They stopped before it and tried to read.
"If you can read this, press the blue switch." They read aloud together.
They looked around to find it.
"I don't see it." Cuphead said.
"It must be in the other…" Mugman stared in utter horror at the space in front of him. "…room…"
Cuphead and Mugman facepalmed themselves.
Then, the mob of monsters came in rumbling footsteps to the room they were in and then surround them.
"Uhh… any ideas?" Mugman smiled sheepishly to Cuphead.
"I thought you were the smart one." Cuphead raised an eyebrow.
"I'm out." Mugman spread his hands as his smile turned into a cringe.
Cuphead whimpered and then looked around the monsters that were quickly closing in on them, and then saw something apple green behind the mob of monsters.
"What's that?" Cuphead pointed at the green thing as he firmly buddy hugged Mugman that it caused him to stumble.
"Wanna go?" Mugman raised an eyebrow at Cuphead.
Cuphead smirked. "You trust me?"
Mugman nervous chuckled. "Yeah. That's why we get in trouble."
Cuphead sikered. "Hold tight!"
"WOAH!" Mugman yelled as his hand was pulled and he stumbled onto Cuphead's back into a piggyback ride.
"ADVENTAAAAAAAAAAA-" Cuphead kept yelling and yelling (with Mugman screaming in terror) as he ran towards the mob of monsters.
"VEGETABLES! STARRY EYES!" Yelled the carrot monsters and one-eyed monsters as they respectively shot vegetables from their heads like volcanoes, and then energy rings from their eyes.
"OBEY!" The cockroach monster lifted its claws and its wings, from under its back shell like a beetle, spread its transparent wings and it fluttered as dozens of buzzing cockroaches spawned from its back and flew towards the boys.
All while he and his brother screamed in fright, Cuphead swerved left as he dodged the energy rings that blasted and charred the floor, then swerved right as he dodged a volley of vegetables splattering around, then jumped over a sea of cockroaches while he and piggybacked Mugman ducked another sea of cockroaches above them and sandwiched them into this narrow space, all while more energy rings and vegetable volcano debris fired to them .
"Mugs?!" Cuphead hissed out in concern.
"I'm holding, I'm holding!" Closed-eyes Mugman tightened his clutch onto Cuphead.
As he ran, Cuphead looked ahead and saw a rain of vegetables in the sky. Terrified, he ran forward and several times he would stop before a vegetable would drop in front of him.
Mugman looked behind him and gasped with his eyes bugging out of him. "JUMP!"
Immediately Cuphead jumped and then Mugman's straw turned into a gloved-hand and swatted the vegetable above him, but then they landed on a sea of flying cockroaches that carried them all the way to the switch.
Cuphead and Mugman scrambled around and panic-swatted away the cockroaches crawling on their bodies saying 'getthemoffgetthemoffgethemoff!' When the cockroaches came off there were various bite marks on their ripped up clothes and they were panting and whimpering. They got up and saw a small 1-ft apple green headless statue with a switch on its neck-plate.
"Is this it?" Mugman asked innocently.
Cuphead glared irritated at Mugman. "I thought ya said you were out of-"
"Just flick the switch!" Mugman angrily snapped at Cuphead.
Annoyed, Cuphead put his fingers on the sundial-shaped disc switch and twisted it. The floor suddenly and quickly slid open a trapdoor revealing a hole beneath both of them, and they both stared down horrifically at the hole, stood there as if an invisible floor was still there, and then they wrapped their arms around each other in a very very squeezed-tight hug (to the point that they even wrapped their legs around each other's backs) as they continued to stare horrifically at it and stand on the space.
"Bro?" Mugman asked with a squeaky terrified voice.
"Yeah?!" Cuphead's voice squeaked.
"What's with this place wanting us to keep falling down?" Mugman looked at Cuphead horrifically.
Cuphead nervous chuckled. "I-I dunno, we just can't seem tuh keep up with it."
Both their eyes widened in surprise at the pun Cuphead made, and then Mugman giggled while Cuphead smiled proudly.
Mugman looked at Cuphead. "Nii-!" Then they suddenly fell down the hole "IIIIIIAAAAAAAAAAAAAGGGGHHH-"
They screamed as they fell and fell until their bums landed on a slide going down down, and they were approaching the floor with red leaves below until…
"WE'VE GOT FRESH SPINACH!" A bunch of carrot monsters popped up by the mouth of the exit to greet them with their crooked smiles.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright, they tightened their hug even more (to the point they were squeezing each other's bodies to a pulp), and then they stopped themselves from sliding (despite it being literally impossible). They turned around, ran in place for about two seconds (with some running cartoon sound effects) and then dashed up the slide. They kept screaming and screaming, and running and running up the very very steep slide defying the force of gravity behind them. They kept panic-running and running until…
"HEED THE OVERMIND!" The angry and grumpy looking cockroach monster popped out from the mouth of the exit ahead of them.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed in fright.
"I'M NOT GONNA PICK ON YOU!" The one-eyed monster popped out from the left side of the exit mouth ahead.
The one-eyed monster fired from its eye three energy rings, and from beneath the wings of the cockroach monster dozens of cockroaches were dropping like dead insects towards them. The boys screamed in fright and stopped running, letting themselves fall down the hole back to the slide below.
Ahead they saw the vegetable monsters again.
Cuphead mumbled. "Ouchie time."
Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and tightened his hug (As if it wasn't already suffocating enough). "It was nice knowin' ya buddy."
Cuphead squeezed his eyes shut because of the suffocation and in anticipation of what's to come.
They slid out of the slide, feeling a sudden loss of flooring beneath them, but then their bums landed in a bed of spikey things. Cuphead and Mugman sprung up in the air screaming with tears of pain, shaking their legs and covering their own bums.
"Pineapples can cure you, you know!" The carrot monsters said as the boys kept screaming in pain with pineapples stuck to their bums.
Cuphead and Mugman hit the ground running, crying and whimpering away from the vegetable monsters with pineapples stuck to their bums. While they were running up the stairs, for about four times they yanked out bunches of pineapples making them yell in a big "OW!" on each yank, and then they hugged each other for comfort once they were done.
They popped out of another elevated opening on the wall and then looked around, noticing (describe the first room they were in of this puzzle); they were back in the first room.
Mugman gasped and then rotated his brother's head by his handle to the upper right of them. "Look!"
Next to the pillar was a light blue neckless bust which was up-to-their-stomachs tall. They ran towards it and saw a red 'sun disc-like' switch.
"Wait a minute…" Mugman looked at it suspiciously. "That's not a blue switch. That's a blue statue with a red switch."
Cuphead groaned. "Who cares let's switch it!"
Cuphead turned the switch clockwise while Mugman glared in horror at Cuphead's once again impulsive act. The floor beneath them slid open, and again (uninfluenced by gravity) they stared at it horrifically, then hugged each other very tightly, and only after that they fell down the hole again.
"NOT THE STINGY PINEAPPLES AGAIN!" Mugman yelled in horror.
As they landed on the slide again and they were closing in on the exit, Cuphead stared at it as if he were staring down his fear.
"JUMP!" Cuphead yelled.
As they exited the slide and without hesitation, Mugman and Cuphead buckled their legs and then kicked both feet up, making them leap in an arch above the bed of pineapples which were layered over the bed of red leaves; meanwhile the carrot monsters that were waiting there watched them fly over with their monotonous crooked smiles which could not be distinguished if they were watching in awe or in shock.
They landed on the cement floor with Cuphead firmly on the ground while Mugman wobbling and tilting towards the bed of pineapples. Cuphead pulled Mugman towards him, and Mugman's landed on Cuphead's shoulder with a clink on their heads.
They looked at each other with confident 'I saw what you did there' smiles. "Nice clink bro. Jinx!" They pointed their fingers to each other.
"Hey!" The carrot monsters yelled from behind the boys.
They turned around and screamed as they saw a volley of fruits and vegetables about to rain down on them. They then dashed up the stairs away from the vegetables.
"WE DON'T WANT YOUR VEGETABLES!" Mugman yelled back as they ran.
"YEAH! THEY'RE FULL OF VITAMIN DUHHH!" Cuphead yelled back.
Mugman's mouth squiggly smiled and then he unleashed a bubbly cackle fit, which Cuphead proudly smiled with starry eyes at Mugman.
Mugman looked at Cuphead with his precious jolly smile. "I gotta remember that!"
"I AM the funny one!" Cuphead said excitedly and proudly.
"Y-hes you are buddy!" Mugman said while giving a hug, which Cuphead reacted with starry eyes looking back.
"THERE IT IS!" Said a creepy eye peeping from the exit ahead.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed as they saw a creepy eye.
The eye shot three energy rings from smallest to biggest going towards them. Cuphead and Mugman took them full blast and ended up groaning with dizzy spinning eyes as they kept running until Cuphead tripped and they both fell forward hands reaching towards the monster's eye.
"AIEEEEE!" The eye-monster yelled in pain as he fell.
All three of them collapsed onto the ground floor with a thud, with Cuphead and Mugman still hugging each other and with eyes spinning, while the one-eyed monster with creepy smile was covering its tearful eye with his two hands. The ground below them shook, and under their stomachs a bunch of carrot monsters popped out sending Cuphead and Mugman flying.
"It is waay past lunch time!" The carrot monsters said together.
Frightened and whimpering, Cuphead and Mugman landed on their feet and started running towards the next room until
"I AM THE SWARM!" The cockroach monster yelled while dozens of cockroaches swarm out of his wings and blocks the exit.
A couple of slimes also manage to intercept their way.
Cuphead and Mugman gasped as they were blocked. Mugman turned around and he and Cuphead were back to back sandwiched between the two groups of monsters (one-eyed monsters and carrot monsters on the left from the first room, and slimes and a migosp on the right from the second room). The monsters fired their attacks at the boys.
"SPIN PARRY!" Mugman yelled to the ceiling in a panic.
Mugman ran in a counterclockwise while Cuphead ran in clockwise so they splat their faces onto each other. They looked up, and screamed as the attacks were coming close, and then hugged each other really tight and squeezed their eyes shut anticipating the end. Sounds of vegetables splattering, lasers firing, bugs buzzing, and slimes splotching could be heard around them, but they felt nothing. They opened their eyes and looked around them to see lots of debris of attacks littered around them, except for the one circular spot they were hugging on.
They both gasped and then looked at each other with starry eyes. "WE'RE ALIVE!"
"HEEY!" The one-eyed monster yelled from the side of the first room. "HOW!" He jump-stomped the ground. "DO!" He jump-stomped the ground again. "YOUI!" And again. "DO!" And again. "THAT!" And again.
"You're probably not eating your carrots Loox!" The carrot monsters said looking at him. "It's good for your eye!"
The cockroach monster screamed and grunted as he punched his claws downwards. "I DON'T CAAAARE!" He began stomping his right foot repeatedly.
Frightened, Cuphead and Mugman recoiled away from the cockroach monster and then turned their attention to the one-eyed monster.
"I'm sorry, do what?" Mugman turned to the one-eyed monster and raised an eyebrow.
"THE STARRY EYES!" The one-eyed monster Loox yelled as his smile looked more forceful, his fists punched backwards and he leaned towards the boys. "The red one could do it!" He pointed his flat open 90 degree rotated hands (poised as if trying to regain composure and prove his point) towards Cuphead. "You could do it!" He pointed those same hands to Mugman. "WHY CAN'T I DO IT?!" He pointed both his index fingers towards his one eye.
The one-eyed monster squatted, placed his fists forward, and at the same time started to twitch his eye to make something happen, but instead he shot three energy rings again.
Cuphead and Mugman screamed and backed off. The energy rings hit the floor in front of them.
"Hey!" Cuphead glared at the one-eyed monster. "You can't just shoot laser eyes and ask us how to do… do what?" He looked at Mugman with a raised eyebrow.
"The starry eyes." Mugman said casually as he pointed his right index finger to both his eyes.
"Ohh!" Cuphead's eyes widened, but then he squatted a bit and started to twitch his eyes. "Am I doing it?"
"Okay stop, you're freaking me out." Eyes cringing, Mugman held Cuphead's shoulders, making him stop and relax. "Ahahand…" He gently smiled as he chuckled. "You do it only when ya blow yer milk about somethin'."
(blow your wig: 1930s slang for 'get excited')
"Really?" Cuphead smiled. "Like how?"
"RRRRRRREEEEEEEEEEE!" The cockroach monster screeched as it pulled its antennae down with its claws and stomped both its feet repeatedly. "I DON'T CARE I DON'T CARE I DON'T CAAAAARE!" With a thrust of its arms forward and a spread of his back wings, he launched a swarm of cockroaches towards them.
"Hey! They don't need roaches! They need oranges!" The carrot monsters erupted oranges from the top of their heads.
"THOSE!" Loox jump-stomped the ground. "AREN'T!" He jump-stomped again. "STAAARS!" And again as he fired three sets of swerving laser projectiles from his eye.
The slimes launched sludge balls from the top of their heads which then exploded like fireworks in the air.
Cuphead offered his arm to Mugman. "Wanna try again?" He smirked.
"YEAH!" Mugman eyes widened and he beamed.
Like before, they faced each other, chained their arms together, stuck the tips of their shoes together, ran in clockwise, spun really fast and held their free arms, free legs, and their straw hands out as they parried all the incoming projectiles. As the projectiles stopped firing, they slowed their spin and then walked slowly to a stop with some dizzy-eyed wobbling.
"THAT WAS SOO COOL!" Cuphead and Mugman looked at each other with starry eyes.
"THERE!" The one-eyed monster pointed both fingers at the boys. "HOLD STILL!" The one-eyed monster began squatting, twitching his eye and grunting loudly while trying to make something happen. Instead, he farted.
Everyone, Cuphead, Mugman, and the monsters, just looked at Loox in awkward silence.
Loox grunted in frustration and then jump-stomped again. "HOW DO YOU DO IT?!"
"Well, what blows your wig pal?" Cuphead splayed his right hand.
'We don't have wigs dummy!" The carrot monsters said, and launched more vegetables and fruits.
Cuphead and Mugman zipped around dodging them.
"He meant woah-!" Mugman jumped back as a tomato splotched in front of him and splashed on his clothes a little. "He meant what gets ya excited, dummy!" He placed his fists on his hips as he glared irritated at the carrot monster.
"OOOOooooooooo!" Cuphead looked at Mugman with starry eyes and a big smile. "Got 'im Mugs!"
They high-fived each other and laughed.
"I JUST WANT TO SEE THE STARS! IF YOU CAN DO IT..." He pointed at Cuphead. "THEN I CAN DO IT TOO!" Loox looked fiercely with a very forceful smile at them as he pointed his thumbs at himself. "AND I!" He jump-stomped. "CAN!" And again. "SEE!" And again. "THE STARS!" Again. "ANY TIME!" Again. "I WANT!" And again.
The attacks kept coming and Cuphead and Mugman just kept running around.
"Ohh! Hmmm Cuphead?" Mugman turned to his brother. "Can we make stars?" He shrugged his shoulders.
"Apparently with our eyes!" Cuphead smiled as he pointed to his eyes. "Only Hilda could do it at will though."
From above their heads, they each parried a pineapple away from them.
"Well, what else do ya like Mr. Eye? I mean, Mr. Loox was it?" Mugman asked in confusion.
"Well, I like it when other people DON'T PICK ON ME! ESPECIALLY ON MY EYE!" Loox yelled towards the carrot monsters who just laughed.
Cuphead and Mugman just looked at Loox in confusion and then looked at each other.
"But…" Mugman (along with Cuphead) looked back at Loox. "We're not picking on ya."
"But we'd pick ya to be our new pal!" Cuphead beamed as he splayed his warm-hearted open hands.
Mugman curly-mouth smiled at Cuphead. "AWWW!" He giggled.
"Hey I can still noogie you." Cuphead smirked at his brother.
Loox gasped. "You didn't pick on me, AND you made a pun!" His pupil turned into a star. "THANK YOU! WOAH!" His eye fired star-shaped swerving laser projectiles.
The boys just watched it twirl around the air with stars in their eyes. It twirled and whirled in spiral and wavy directions before exploding into a noiseless rainbow star-shaped firework.
"WWwwoooooooowwwww!" The boys and even the monsters (even the grumpy roach monster) looked at the firework in awe and with their own star-shaped pupils.
"I did it…" Loox said, baffled. "I DID IT!" He punched his fists to the sky as he smiled bigger, now happier (his cheeks pushing up his eyelid) instead of forced. Loox began laughing and kicking his heels midair together as he ran away hopping with gold coins flying out of him. "I CAN FINALLY SEE THE STARS!"
Cuphead and Mugman buddy hugged each other and smiled as they watched Loox go.
"Yeah…" The carrot-monster said. "BUT I DON'T SEE YOU EATING YOUR GREENS!" Again, they erupted a volley of vegetables going towards them, but this time, instead of the vegetables raining down on them, the fruits and vegetables instead twirled in the air and then swirled around the boys who screamed and hugged each other in fright at first, but then the whirlwind of vegetables started to lift them up gently.
"Woaaaah!" Cuphead and Mugman said in awe as they looked at the vegetables swirling around them.
"EAT!... EAT!... EAT, YOUR, GREENS!... EAT!... EAT!... EAT YOUR GREENS!" The vegetable monsters chanted and danced their heads left and right like they were in a ritual.
"NO WAY!" Cuphead yelled back as he folded his arms.
Mugman on the other hand had his mouth squiggled in the heebie-jeebies as he looked around the healthy food that were threatening to attack them.
From the whirlwind storm surrounding the boys, some of the fruits and vegetables launched towards the boys hovering at the eye. The boys screamed (their straws turned into exclamation points) and they dodged upwards, lower left, left, lower right, and even had to pop their heads off just to dodge one bullet seed before they pulled them back secured to their necks.
Mugman looked behind them and saw a spinach flying towards him. With a reluctant squiggly frown, he opened his mouth, let the spinach shoot to his mouth, and then began chewing.
Cuphead gasped and looked at Mugman. "Mugs!"
Mugman squeezed his eyes shut and just kept chewing and chewing, and then eventually swallowed making a one big gulp down his throat. Then, he licked around his lips with his big slurping tongue, and then drummed his stomach with his hands.
The carrot monsters gasped. "He ate his greens…" One of them said.
"Mmmm! That wasn't bad at all!" Mugman smiled at Cuphead.
Cuphead looked horrifically at Mugman. "What?!"
Mugman was surprised by Cuphead's reaction. "Oh! Sorry." He scratched the back of his head. "I guess I really was hungry. It was like… a hamburger, without the…. The hotdog sandwich thingy."
Cuphead snickered. "You mean the buns and the patty?"
"Yeah!" Mugman said with his cute smile.
"You want more?" The motherly carrot monsters approached Mugman and then chucked a carrot onto his mouth. "There's plenty more where that came from!"
The carrot monsters kept stuffing Mugman with different other vegetables, even if he was already a mouthful, and he just kept chewing as much as he could while started to cry.
"HEY!" Cuphead yelled angrily.
The carrot monsters stopped talking and looked at Cuphead who was running towards the carrot monsters while yelling a battle cry, jumped on one of the giant carrot monster's heads, and then bit it.
The carrot monsters gasped, while the one bitten just watched Cuphead horrifically.
Cuphead began to chew, but then shivered in disgust and spit out what he ate. "YUCK!"
"YNNNNFNNNFNNNFNN!" Mugman tried to talk, but the vegetables stuffed onto his mouth plugged up his mouth and what came out, along the borders of his mouth, was his spit with bits of vegetables instead.
Cuphead glared confused at Mugman. "I dunno what he said but…" He glared with a menacing smile at the carrot monsters. "I think you'd be better stewed up!"
The carrot monsters screamed in fear. "WE ARE NOT VEGETABLES! WE ARE VEGETOIDS!"
Panicking, the Vegetoids quickly burrowed underground, leaving Cuphead to twirl in the air a bit before landing on the floor sitting confused at what happened. Mugman ran over to Cuphead held his hands and pulled him up.
"FNNUHFNHFNNNNNFNH!" Mugman talked while holding Cuphead's hands.
Cuphead giggled. "Hold still Mugs."
Cuphead rotated Mugs' head 180 degrees back, and then patted on his handle really hard causing latter to spit out the food that was stuck on his mouth and he coughed as he did.
Smiling Mugman rotated his head back to normal facing Cuphead. "I said-!" He coughed. "I said you have to peel the carrots before you eat them."
"Ohhhh!" Cuphead's smile widened. "THNNNNKKKYFFFFFFFUFFF!" He said as he closed his mouth and spoke with lots of spit.
"HEEEY!" Mugman playfully pushed Cuphead and they both started a giggle fit.
"NGGGGAAAAAHHHHHHHH!" The cockroach monster yelled from behind them.
Cuphead and Mugman looked in the direction behind the latter and saw the cockroach monster was screeching and pulling its antennae off, literally, but a new set of antennae grew back after.
"Y'know, this guy was in a swell mood when we first saw 'im." Cuphead said as he looked at the cockroach monster.
Cuphead and Mugman looked next to the cockroach monster on the right and there were a couple of slime monsters just blobbing by idly.
"Well… maybe it's because… he was having some alone time?" Mugman smiled at Cuphead.
Cuphead smiled. "And dancin'!" He lightly pounded the air in front of him.
"Let's say we do that ducky shincracker swing ding Mr. Cockroach taught us!" Mugman swung his dancing fists in front of his chest left and right.
(Ducky shincracker = Good dancer)
"And do that blob jive to get rid of these guys?" Cuphead raised an eyebrow and also swung his dancing fists right and left to mirror Mugman's pose.
Mugman giggled. "Ya know it!" He winked.
The cockroach monster beared its claws against the boys. "YOU WILL ALL-!" It gasped.
While smiling jolly at the monsters and chaining their buddy arms together, Cuphead and Mugman were were bending their knees over and over, bobbing up and down in a fast pace like jolly jelly. In response, the slimes were bobbing faster and matching the boys' speed. Cuphead and Mugman stopped, held their closest hands together, and they did a synchronized fluid and rubber band like arm wave starting from Cuphead to Mugman and vice versa. The slimes protruded out their arms, and they held each other's closest 'hands' and also did an arm wave of their own.
The cockroach monster started to smile and then giggle. He then started to do his dance of bending his knees and then do his own arm wave.
The slimes then slowly danced and squiggled away from the area, leaving behind a couple of piles of coins.
"La la la la la la la la la!" The cockroach monster waved his arms left and right quickly as he danced. "Let's do the armwave!"
Cuphead and Mugman giggled. "Sure!"
The cockroach monster offered his claw hand to Mugman, who along with Cuphead frowned.
"You can hold the top side of it!" The cockroach monster smiled as it looked down at Mugman
Mugman smiled, then looked at Cuphead who smiled and nodded, then looked back at the cockroach monster "Oh-okay!"
They did the arm wave starting from the cockroach monster, then to Mugman, then to Cuphead, and all the way back.
Cuphead giggled. "That was fun!" He looked at the cockroach monster.
They all looked around and saw lots and lots of coins littered around the place.
"Oh no no this won't do!" The cockroach monster shook his head. "Here, let me get those for you!"
With a stretch of his claws forward, and a spread of his back wings, dozens of buzzing cockroaches flew around in swarms. The swarms blanketed the place seemingly just skittering around aimlessly, but then gold coins started to sparkle and move around to the top of the blanket of cockroaches
"Woah!" Cuphead and Mugman said.
"It's a little gross but cool." With his hand curved on the right of his mouth, Cuphead whispered to smiling Mugman who nodded in agreement.
"I wish they were butterflies though." Mugman shrugged his shoulders as he smiled sheepishly.
"What?!" The cockroach monster glared irritated at Mugman.
Cuphead and Mugman nervously backed off a bit from the cockroach monster.
"I mean-! Uhhh…" Mugman began nervously touching his index fingers together.
Cuphead nervously chuckled. "He meant, cockroaches are cool!"
"Oh really?" The cockroach monster smiled flattered and then giggled. "Aww thank you, you shouldn't have!" It waved its claw up-down as it was flattered.
Mugman nervously giggled. "Yeah! They are! M-mr…" He began touching his index fingers repeatedly.
"Migosp!" The cockroach monster did another armwave as he smiled at Mugman. He spread his arms and elytra wide.
(Elytra – leathery 'wing cases' of beetles, cockroaches, and other species used to protect their flying wings.)
The cockroaches from all over the floor flew back to Migosp, delivered the coins to his claws, and then flew back to his wings and he folded them back into his elytra.
"Here you go!" Migosp handed the coins to Cuphead and Mugman.
Happily, Cuphead and Mugman split the gold evenly to themselves.
"Thank you Mr. Migosp!" Mugman smiled at the cockroach monster.
"Oooo!" Migosp said as if he were making a bass drop. Then, he started beatboxing and making bending hip-hop like moves while sliding away from the scene.
Cuphead and Mugman just smiled and did tiny dances following the beatboxing rhythm of Migosp until he disappeared behind one of the pillars.
Cuphead smirked at Mugman. "I thought you're supposed to be the smart one."
Mugman looked back confused. "Whaddya mean?"
Cuphead snickered. "Hotdog sandwich thingy?" He rested his hands on his hips as he raised an eyebrow
"Oh!" Mugman chuckled. "I guess I don't think much when my tank's empty." He patted his stomach. "I just chow down."
Cuphead giggled, put the coins in his pocket, and buddy hugged his brother. "I can respect your dum dumness."
Mugman raised an eyebrow, smiling with intrigue. "Why?"
"Hmmm…" Cuphead tapped his chin (or base rather). "I dunno. Why do ya stick with me when we get in trouble?"
Mugman giggled. "Fair." He shrugged his shoulders
They walked forward a bit, and then looked to their right. Hiding behind the pillar was a blue neckless bust with a blue switch on it.
"Is that-"
"Yes." Mugman smiled, relaxed. "Yes it is."
Cuphead smirked. "Reminds me of that time when Toriel hid behind the Toriel."
Mugman's eyes widened and he looked at Cuphead with a gaped-open mouth.
"Wait, I mean-!" Cuphead started to bubbly laugh.
Mugman started to bubbly laugh and cover his face.
Cuphead held his hands up and looked at the ceiling. "HEY LOOK! I DIDN'T WRITE THE LINE OKAY SOMEONE'S MAKING ME SAY IT!"
Cuphead and Mugman just laughed together as they flicked the switch, which caused a loud unsheathing sound to happen.
They walked forward and saw that the gate was open, and they crossed it while merrily buddy walking, laughing, beatboxing and doing tiny freestyle dances of their own.
-End of Chapter 6-
Author's Note:
After 4 Months We finally get another chapter! I took long with this one because the struggle came from the question of how Cuphead and Mugman would solve the puzzles, deal with the enemies, and at the same time infuse the Run n Gun mode here.
Unfortunately this will be the last time that I will incorporate this Run n Gun idea; it will take too much time to progress towards the major events of the story, and it might dull out the momentum. However, this idea will be incorporated into a 'tell' instead of 'show' techniques instead.
Chapter 7 isn't far behind fortunately. I tend to write down the major scenes hidden in a notebook a write.
If you have any questions feel free to leave them in the reviews.
See you next time!