And after a long break, we are finally moving on.
Sorry it took so long, but the heatwave and a few other things really got on my nerves. I hope you didn't mind the long wait though.
Don't worry, I will definitely finish the story and not give up again. That much is certain - the ending will be special.
Regarding news of a fourth season, I will continue the story here ^^
Until then
One would think that the life of an imp in the underworld is rather monotonous. Either torturing unfortunate souls or tending to the needs of the king of the underworld such as bringing food and stuff or bringing him terrible good news. Even if the latter applies more to Henchman and Amnon. However, watching a play or musical was not on anyone's daily schedule.
But what should you expect? Certainly not much because the only role and crew was the devil himself. Only he didn't walk around naked like he usually did but wore a blue and purple prince-like theater costume singing La donna è mobile on top of his lunges. It was surprising to see a theater stage with seats in the underworld at all, but most of the Imps didn't mind. Next to them sat Henchman, Amnon, Lilith and far back in the last row so that you couldn't actually recognize them sat Alicia's rivals.
In addition to singing, the devil performed several dance and ballet interludes such as walking on tiptoe, pirouettes and so on and so forth until he held the final note for the crowning finale. And as dramatic as he is, he fell over onto his back and hoped for rapturous applause from his audience.
But instead he received little applause. Just seven spectators clapped for him. The loudest of them was Henchman, who was standing between a Lilith who had fallen asleep and a rather quietly clapping Amnon with a nervous look on his face. In the back row, on the other hand, the rivals cheered like there was no tomorrow. The rest of the Imps were all leaning against their seats, wearing strange glasses over their eyes.
Her eyes were depicted on them, which was even stranger. Why would they do that except to find a way to sleep during the theater performance? Well, they did. They slept and unlike Lilith, they tried to hide it as best they could. "Bravo!", "Encore!" but when Lilith heard the cheers from the two demons next to her, she was roused from her sleep and quickly realized that she wasn't the only one who had fallen asleep during the performance.
She quickly clapped formally and nudged the one or other Imp, but they were fast asleep. "Yes! That's our boss!" Silk shouted from the back row before Lilith, Henchman and Amnon looked at an Imp whose glasses fell to the ground, showing his closed eyes. The drool thread on the side was hard to ignore. "Huh? Mmm" the imp snored as Amnon nudged him again to make sure he was still awake. Only for the Imp to fall back asleep like nothing had happened.
"Wha…?" the devil leaned on the stage, supporting himself with his elbows, confused, perplexed and angry at the same time when his ears didn't hear the thunderous applause he had hoped for. "Don't any of you appreciate the theater?" he asked, hoping for a positive response.
"I appreciated the nap" was all the Devil got in reply while two Imps made fun of him before one of the two Imps was reduced to dust by the Devil's trident. The other Imps just remained silent. For good reason as they were reluctant to irritate the devil further "I am tired of being unappreciated by you cultural numbskulls!" he growled, stomping his trident into the floor of the stage while continuing to discuss how implausible his Imps were. "I hope you all enjoyed yourselves, because today's performance…".
The devil continued to stomp annoyed across the stage before dramatically finishing his sentence, looking menacingly at his "audience". "...shall be my last" he emphasized in a menacing voice, hoping his subjects understood. Well, they did, but the devil had not hoped for an answer. Instead of begging him not to stop as their rivals demanded, the Imps clapped while Henchman, Amnon and Lilith did nothing of the sort. "Tough crowd and I thought Broadway was tough," Lilith yawned as she tried to humor the Devil and keep the odd Imp from clapping. But the deed was already done and the devil grumbled in annoyance before taking his trident and disappearing in a puff of smoke. The imps continued to clap, of course, much to the annoyance of Lilith and the others.
None of them seemed pleased that the boss was now leaving the stage in a huff. Of course, not everyone here in the underworld liked theater, but he should still be allowed the dignity he still had after his trident was taken from him and half of his powers were removed years ago. In the break room behind the stage, the devil appeared out of a cloud of smoke and sighed depressingly. His face, beaming with pride, was now a depressed, disappointing one. "Surely someone somewhere must appreciate what I have to offer" the devil hoped so, for he considered himself a good actor.
"I deserve an audience. I deserve to be adored. I deserve to be loved!" The devil didn't care what you saw of him. He wanted to feel these three things as he made his debut on the big stage, stood in the spotlight and was cheered and celebrated by the audience.
However, the coffee machine that the devil had activated a few seconds ago to get a cup of frustrated coffee saw things differently. So it came out of the machine the other way round. With the opening facing downwards so that the coffee overflowed and was spread all over the floor. This was enough for the devil and he destroyed the machine with a fireball so that nothing was left but ashes. "Ugh!" the Devil grumbled as he walked past the notice board that usually had stats, notes, Imp of the Month notices (which was usually Henchman) or any unnecessary news/messages from Stickler that almost nobody read. Even the devil ignored these and ripped the latest message about too few souls in the vault off the board and threw it in the burning trash can.
But before the devil could continue on his way, he suddenly stopped. His pupils retracted. Had he really just seen a flyer that had piqued his interest? Curious, he turned around and saw the flyer, which he carefully tore off to take a closer look.
"Cup Rogers vs. The Meteor. A New Space Opera" was written on the flyer with the title hero Cup Rogers, who carried a charming young lady in his arms. "Auditions open!" The devil gasped with joy, apparently he had been granted a chance at fame after all. "This is my big break. I'll be a star!" grinned the devil. Not only because he knew he would get the chance to play the lead role, but because he could make Alicia fall in love with him if she saw that he was playing the lead role in the play. The stars in his pupils disappeared and the familiar smirking smile appeared. "Cup Rogers is the role..."
"I was born to play!" Mugman explained with pride. He, his brother who was playing with his yoyo, Cuppy who was bored and pushing some pebbles back and forth with his feet and Alicia and Lucifer were all standing in a long line in front of the doors of the theater which were still firmly closed. That Mugman was not the only one who wanted to take part in the play could be seen from the rest of the people.
But of the group, he was the only one who had signed up for the audition. Cuphead and the others were merely his emotional support as the younger brother had severe stage fright. Alicia knew this only too well and was therefore more than happy to support him. Even though I wonder how he will deal with his stage fright? "That's right, Cuphead, Cuppy, Ali and Lucifer. Today's the day. The first stop on the road to Mugman's stage debut!" Okay, we're exaggerating a little.
"Oh yeah? What about your stage fright?" This was not only Alicia's question, but also that of Cuphead who, instead of motivating his brother, preferred to do a few tricks with the yoyo. "Cuphead!" Alicia rolled her eyes in annoyance at his question. "What? It's true that Mugsy has stage fright, isn't it?" Cuphead argued with Alicia while Mugman sweated nervously and tried to keep a cool head before answering his brother's question. "Oh, I have a little trick for that", "And that would be?".
Raising a finger, Mugman was about to answer Alicia's question when the group and the rest of the people standing in line heard the door to the theater open and let the first few in, causing the line to move "Ooh! It's time," Mugman said, grabbing his brother's handle while he was still sitting on the floor, not knowing what was going on. Of course, Alicia tried to stifle her giggles, but the perplexed look on Cuphead's face made it difficult for her to do so and she couldn't help but laugh while Cuppy just looked at her in confusion before shaking his head and following Mugman into the theater, still dragging his brother behind him.
Lucifer and Alicia followed the three cups straight into the theater. This one looked a little different from the other Inkwell Isle's. The seats were wooden and not upholstered, there were no armrests, there were papers on the floor and between the rows of seats, as well as chewing gum and leftover food. "Really now!" growled Lucifer as he stepped on a chewed piece of gum, which he removed before sitting down with Alicia in the third row from the front. The three cups joined them at the front and were just as unaware as Alicia and Lucifer that three demons had just appeared in the back row. It was, of course, the devil with his assistants Henchman and Amnon.
"Ah. Just look at these amateurs, Henchman and Amnon." the devil grinned as he looked at the rest of the people who were also taking part in the audition. He skillfully ignored the fact that a certain group was also present. "That lead role is mine" he grinned diabolically, self-confident and confident that he would win the leading role. He rubbed his hands together in victory until not only he but everyone else heard the loud knocking on the door next to the table on which there were small snacks and a can of water. The others heard it too and looked perplexed and anxious towards the door until it suddenly ripped open with a loud bang.
The bang was audible but that was not what shocked most people. It was what was behind the door. Behind it was none other than Sally Stageplay, the owner of the Inkwell Theater. It was hard to deny that she was well known on the Inkwell Isles. Even Alicia knew her, although she, Cuppy and Lucifer weren't from here. In any case, this applied to the latter two and not to Alicia herself. After all, she was still the only real person here in this cartoon world.
But that wasn't as important at the moment as Sally's appearance, which Alicia looked at more closely. Sally looked very much like her counterpart in the book, except for a few small details. She now wears makeup like bright red lipstick and pink eye shadow. Her clothes were also different. Instead of a turquoise evening gown, she now wears real jeans, black Mary Janes and a short white coat.
However, this was not the only thing that Alicia and the others noticed. Instead of walking normally upright to the stage, Sally leaned forward like a crab and appeared to be foaming at the mouth with reddened eyes. Normally Alicia would joke and say something like "I look like this without my morning coffee" but she let it go because apparently Sally really did have rabies. Almost everyone seemed to have and express the same reaction as Sally climbed up the stage on all fours and looked at the group, snarling as if she was going to pounce on them at any moment.
She straightened up, growling. Of course, this looked threatening and worrying for the group. After all, it seemed to be quite rare for a case of rabies to occur. However, Cuphead seemed more interested in his yoyo than a rabid woman. "That is Sally Stageplay?" the devil asked while Henchman himself didn't know what to say. Amnon was sweating with fear and fainted.
"What on earth is wrong with her?" Alicia whispered to herself as she clung trembling to her husband's arm. Lucifer looked worriedly at her and comforted her with gentle caresses while the phone sitting in the same row as her and Lucifer answered her question, "She's got rabies!" and pointed an outstretched finger at Sally, who answered in the affirmative.
Okay, I know that Sally from the book likes to exaggerate her roles, Alicia said to herself mentally. But that's more than an exaggeration. It was nothing new to either Alicia, Lucifer or Cuppy that Sally always tried to make every play she wrote and performed as unique as she could. Be it her one man show or the use of certain objects like real throwing knives to make certain scenes more authentic or to show the real emotions of the other actors.
"Yes, yes!" Sally said as foam continued to come out of her mouth until, for whatever reason, she was normal and the greenish drool disappeared from her mouth and the happy smiling Sally everyone knew reappeared. "No!" she replied with a smile as the group exhaled in relief. Alicia in particular was relieved that Sally had only been acting. Almost everyone understood except for the phone, which was still asking. "Then why are you foaming at the mouth? Why?" He really wanted to know. So Sally answered his question with a very simple sentence that Alicia had heard more than enough.
"Because...acting!" she explained and the entire group gasped with the exception of Alicia, Cuppy and Lucifer of course. "Welcome to the theater!" Sally greeted the participants. As dramatically as she could, of course. The crowd clapped and cheered for her anyway. Well, not everyone clapped. While Mugman got up from his chair to clap even harder, Cuphead seemed to be the only one not clapping, his mind still elsewhere.
"Wait. So acting is just lying?" the cup asked itself "Wow! Turns out I've been acting my whole life" Alicia heard that and was one hundred percent sure that what Cuphead had just said wasn't quite right. Acting is not the same as lying. There's much more to it than that. "I should get in on this" Cuphead's answer seemed to please not only Mugman but also Alicia. After all, Cuphead had said a few hours ago that this would be boring anyway. But neither of them said anything, instead staring at Cuphead perplexed, hoping that he didn't take it literally.
I really hope so. Alicia sighed before focusing her eyes back on Sally instead of Cuphead. "I, Sally Stageplay, your brave, fearless, humble-director, have gathered you here to cast the theatrical masterpiece that is..." she took a few steps to the right before dramatically stretching out her arms to finish her sentence, "Cup Rogers vs. The Meteor!" the crowd gasped before Sally continued.
"First up, Cup Rogers." Sally mentioned proudly, while Mugman grinned with joy as if he was getting a huge sundae. But he wasn't the only one who could contain his joy. The devil also wanted the part and grinned just as stupidly as he was while they both said "That's the part I want!" at the same time, their fingers tingling "The role of Teacup Deering. Cup Rodger's girlfriend and the damsel in distress." Lucifer really liked the role. He could see himself passing as Cup Rodgers and playing Alicia as Teacup Deering. But she didn't seem too keen to take part in the play.
She was here to support Mugman and was reluctant to let Lucifer become his rival for the role of Cup Rodger. "And the role of the evil Catman," Sally completed with the villain of the play. Of course, the devil seemed less than thrilled about this role and had a definite opinion about it. "I don't want that part" he muttered while Henchman and Amnon looked at him with covered eyes. "Uh, but what if you don't get Cup Rogers, boss?" Amnon asked nervously.
In response to his question, the devil just groaned and held his face with his free hand, annoyed as he held his trident with the other. "Henchman, Amnon, the way to get the audience to adore you is to play the hero" he explained to both demons "And if I want to win Alicia for myself I need to be adored!", "Uh, we adore ya, boss" the devil didn't want to hear that from his two assistants but from the love of his life. Alicia. "Not you two!" growled the devil, annoyed. "Strangers and of course my dearest Alicia," his pupils grew thicker and larger at the mere mention of her name.
Even though the devil was rows away from her and Lucifer, Alicia twitched and had the uneasy feeling that the devil was not far from her. She didn't know if it was paranoia or maybe just the wind. "Now, the character of Cup Rogers..." but Sally's words distracted Alicia's thoughts. "He's brave, relentless, and kicks bad guy butt!" Strange terms for a hero, but never mind. Alicia didn't need anything like that. She was more than happy with Lucifer and he was more than happy to have Alicia as his wife and queen. However, the role of a hero, especially if it is the main role, should have such characteristics. A coward is not suitable as a hero.
A hero should therefore have these qualities. But Alicia didn't know whether Mugman even had these qualities if he had stage fright. "A hero down to the very marrow!" The sudden wind was ignored by all but Alicia. She looked for the source but found nothing and put it back in the drawer full of cartoon logic. "To the very marrow" again, Mugman took off with a twinkle in his eye until Cuphead interrupted him.
"Huh? What was that? What?" he asked, perplexed, while Cuppy just rolled her eyes in annoyance. "He jumps through flaming hoops!" Please don't tell me she's overdoing it like Sally in the book world with her circus play. Alicia remembered going to the theater with Cuppy and his brother Mugman to see Sally's latest play. Only to see her tying her husband to a large target and hurling real sharp throwing knives in his direction. His sweaty face was clearly visible as Sally performed tricks with the knives and luckily always missed without harming her husband. Well, his right moustache was a few inches shorter than the left one afterwards.
But Cuphead seemed to be drawn to the words Sally said like a moth to a flame, even though he himself thought the theater was boring. "Dodges death at every turn!", "Dodges death?" the young cup repeated the last words as he approached the stage with every second while Sally turned her back on the participants to make the last sentence even more authentic. "And last, but certainly not least, he flies with a jet pack holding his girlfriend in his arms" With ropes tied around her body, Sally floated across the stage as if she were flying with a real jetpack while a potato sack served as Teacup Deering.
"Cup Rodgers is the most daring role in the history of the stage" With the end of her sentence, Sally disappeared backstage while Cuphead clasped his hands on the stage, his teeth gritted with excitement and tension only to fall backwards onto the floor. The remaining participants slowly stood up one by one and made their way backstage where the individual roles and their script books were distributed. Alicia, Cuppy and Lucifer were ready to stand up when Cuphead blurted out this line, "Well, that settles it." Please don't. "Cup Rogers is the role I was born to play!" both Cuppy and Alicia gave themselves a face palm while Lucifer just looked perplexed and didn't know what to say.
Mugman just gasped as he followed his brother backstage, hoping to get a script for Cup Rogers before his brother stole it too. "This was supposed to be my thing," he sighed as Alicia patted him on the back and offered encouragement. He really needed this if he wanted the role. "Come on Ali, let's cheer Mugsy up a bit," Alicia nodded to Cuppy before going backstage.
Even though the theater here was a little smaller than the one on the other Inkwell Isles, it still looked just as chaotic backstage. Cardboard props, boxes of costumes that had never been used with paints and hats lying on them, sandbags either attached to ropes or just lying around. Almost everything you need for a theater was backstage. Even the door for the actors and the technicians. Some technicians were working on a mechanism that would later be used to bring the meteorite onto the stage. But apparently there were problems and Sally didn't seem too happy about it. "So how should I say that sentence again?" Alicia's eyes, which were previously focused on Sally and the technicians, now looked at Mugman with his script in his hands.
"What text do you mean, Mugsy?" Alicia asked as Mugman flipped through the script and showed her which sentence he meant with his arms outstretched and his finger pointing. Alicia read it carefully and knew that the sentence came from Cup Rogers after he had defeated Catman and freed Teacup. "Oh that's easy you have to-", "Pew, pew! Pew, pew, pew!" interrupted Cuphead with a fakelaser gun in his hand as he approached the group. Both Mugman and Alicia were less than thrilled that he had interrupted them in mid-conversation. The former was not only angry about this, but also about something else.
Mugman seemed less than pleased that Cuphead was no longer supporting him as he had planned, but was now facing him as a rival. "Some kind of brother you are" he mumbled annoyed with the script under his arm. "Some kind of actor you are" added Cuphead. Really now. Alicia rolled her eyes as Cuphead completely ignored the fact that they were here to support Mugman, not steal his role. "Cuphead you do realize you're acting like an idiot right now with that fake laser gun in your hand?" the young cup heard that. "Hey!" he said annoyed, stomping his foot. "I have just as much right to the role as Mugsy!" He wasn't wrong. He also had the right to apply for the leading role.
"Not even up for a little friendly competition?" Cuphead asked while the others looked at him in confusion before he snatched the script from Mugman's hands and ran off with it as if he had just stolen a cookie from the cookie jar. "Pew, pew! Pew, pew, pew!", "Hey! My script!" Oh boy, not again. Alicia rolled her eyes and followed both cups while her husband and Cuppy followed her. "Cuphead!" Alicia shouted as she ran past Sally. Her eyes followed Alicia and her two pursuers.
She didn't know why, but the young adult seemed to Sally to be the perfect role for Teacup Deering. Unlike the other contestants who were less suited to the role or didn't even come close to acting. But there was a problem. She hadn't applied for any role. But Sally could change that. "Hmm maybe I should approach her when she's alone" Sally said before slowly walking after Alicia and the others. But what the others didn't know was that they were getting closer and closer to the devil, who was also backstage. Alicia was reluctant to meet him again after the last action with the false accusation against her husband. But she didn't need to worry about that. The devil wasn't here to seduce Alicia or make her marry him. No, he was here for something else.
"Not so fast, Catman" He was here to try out for the role of Cup Roger as well and was already practicing a little to get more into the role. However, he found it difficult to find the right pitch, which is why he tried out several that suited him. "Not so fast, Catma-" but before he could finish his sentence, a certain someone thundered into his, shall we say, stomach area and interrupted his rehearsal. That someone, of course, was none other than Cuphead. They both groaned in pain before their eyes met. "You! What are you doing here?" they both asked at the same time, holding out their index fingers as the rest of the group approached. Alicia stopped in apprehension when she noticed the devil and clawed at Lucifer's arm, trying to control his rage as his pupils retracted. "What is he doing here?" Lucifer asked in a growling voice.
Alicia wondered the same thing "I don't know but I honestly don't want to know or find out" she just wanted one thing. The script that Cuphead had stolen. Nothing more. "Ugh. Gonna be curtain boy or something?" the devil coughed annoyed to ignore eye contact with the cup. But his eyes quickly wandered over to Alicia and Lucifer who stood protectively in front of her and warned the devil not to even try to seduce Alicia. "You're looking at the next Cup Rogers," scoffs Cuphead, confident that he would get the part.
His pride, however, was interrupted by a chortled from the devil. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. The cup was supposed to play the leading role? Hardly! The devil wanted the part. Not only to be adored by the audience, but also by Alicia, who was still standing behind Lucifer's protective arm, staring at him with a mixture of annoyance and fear. "Cup Rogers is my role" the devil explained sternly while Cuphead's confident face changed to a serious one.
Oh boy, that just calls for a competition. Alicia rolled her eyes in annoyance "Nope, it's mine!", but Alicia noticed that right next to her and Cuppy, who was just rolling his eyes and watching the devil and Cuphead slowly go at each other's throats while saying "Mine!" repeatedly like the seagulls from Finding Nemo, stood Mugman with a shocked but disheartened look on his face. It was hard enough for him to know that his brother was also interested in the role after Sally had shared information about his character. But to learn that the devil also wanted the lead role made him wonder if he was even worthy of it.
Alicia could no longer bear his broken heart. So she decided to stand between the two squabblers to settle the dispute about who would get the leading role. "Would you two stop it?" she asked them both in an annoyed but irritated tone. This shocked not only the two cup brothers but also the king of the underworld himself. The two brothers had never heard Alicia so angry, let alone felt her with such vigor that she pushed the two brawlers apart despite her slight fear of the devil.
"Okay. It's obvious you all three want to play Cup Rogers" the young adult explained, while Mugman couldn't help but stare at his brother with an annoyed look because he was still angry with him while Cuphead just swallowed nervously and grinned at him. The devil himself couldn't really decide whether he should be angry at the two mugs who were standing in his way as opponents or flirt with Alicia again when she was already standing next to him. "But only one of you can." However, Alicia's words were not spoofed. Only one person could have the role. Unfortunately, that was the way it was. "Besides, it's not you who decides who gets the part, it's the theater director." Sally, who was standing not far from the group by the costumes, overheard Alicia's words and was stunned when she heard her voice.
This voice sounded perfect for the actress. Not only because she sounded young but also authoritative. "So let's keep it professional, and may the best actor win" Behind a mobile rack, Sally watched everything that was going on between the three rivals and the young woman. Of course, no one really noticed that Sally was watching everything and was fixated on Alicia the whole time. It was more than clear that Sally saw in Alicia a good potential as the role of Teacup Deering. No, she could literally see it in her eyes as the newspapers reported on the young lady and the theater took on a new shine.
But she first had to persuade the young lady whether she wanted to play the role at all. "Hmm..." Sally wrinkled her chin before an idea came to her mind and she disappeared behind the clothes. "Agreed?" Alicia asked again while giving both Cuphead and the devil a serious look before walking off with Mugsy, Cuppy, the script Cuphead had stolen from his brother and Lucifer to cheer the former up as they had originally intended. "You're going down" But no sooner had Alicia shown her back to Cuphead and the Devil than both were at each other's throats, determined that they themselves would get the role of Cup Roger while the other would fail miserably.
"Oh there's my little cinnamon star!" but who Alicia was surprised to see was none other than Baroness Von Bon Bon carrying a pink, I should have guessed basket full of cupcakes and muffins. The Baroness set it down on a table filled with food, snacks and drinks before running over to Alicia and the group and hugging the former tightly as if she hadn't seen her in a long time. It wasn't necessarily just hugs, but also kisses. "Hey Baroness Von Bon Bon, long time no see," Alicia giggled, happy to see her again. "Oh, you don't want to know how much I miss you when you're not visiting Sugar Land," the Baroness continued to kiss Alicia on her forehead and gave her one kiss after another. Lucifer smirked a little while Cuppy and Mugman both smiled and covered their mouths to keep from laughing.
Although they giggled quietly, Alicia heard this "Yes, I know I look funny with all the hickeys on my face" and she wasn't wrong. All the pink hickeys were of course from the Baroness and not from Lucifer. His were always red. However, not only Lucifer but also the others wondered what she was doing here at all? Shouldn't the Baroness be in her realm or somewhere else? Alicia wondered because since when has she been interested in a theater? In the book, Bon Bon and Sally were very good friends, even if it wasn't immediately obvious.
Sally is always nervous while Bon Bon was the calm personified as long as you didn't tease her. Nobody wanted to know what would happen if you annoyed Bon Bon. Her serious look was already a sign that you shouldn't annoy her. Unless you wanted to incur the wrath of the whole of Sugar Land. However, the Baroness here was different from Bon Bon in the book. Thanks to the broken curse, she was finally able to explore the Inkwell Isle's and not only make new friends but also restore Sugar Land to its former glory. So what was she doing here? Alicia wanted to know and asked her.
"Oh, I'm here because I heard about the audition and that they were looking for volunteers," the Baroness explained before turning to the table and taking the basket of cupcakes and muffins to hand out to some of the participants. But before she did, the Baroness asked Alicia which role she had applied for. Sally asked herself the same question as she watched the group from afar. "Oh, I didn't apply for a part," Alicia explained, looking at Mugman who was practicing a few sentences with script in hand. The Baroness knew immediately what Alicia meant "Oh but you would make a very good actress" but Alicia shook her head. She didn't want to take on a role. Even a supporting role was out of the question.
Nobody knew why. Not even Lucifer, who gladly accepted the role of Cup Roger. But only if Alicia took the role of Teacup. Otherwise, he also turned down the leading role. If my dearest Alicia doesn't play the part, I won't play it either. He thought to himself, stood behind her and wrapped his arms around her body while his tail wagged slowly. That's why he didn't ask, let alone let his wife do what she thought was right. In this case, he did not force her to accept the role. "Besides, I think Mugsy would have good potential to play the role despite his..." she asked the Baroness to come closer while Alicia looked at Mugman who was still busy with the one sentence and didn't realize that they were talking about his stage fright that was still standing in his way to becoming famous.
"Besides, I think Mugsy would have good potential to play the role despite his..." she asked the Baroness to come closer while Alicia looked at Mugman who was still busy with the one sentence and didn't realize that they were talking about his stage fright that was still standing in his way to becoming famous. But she wondered what he had planned. Hopefully nothing stupid like when Cuphead had put those stupid plastic glasses on him to make him braver. Alicia knew what she was talking about and what had happened if she hadn't used her powers. Then there would be cup brûlée.
Yes, you shouldn't steal a dragon's eggs. Especially not a three-headed one. The boys were lucky that Alicia was able to talk sense into Grim thanks to her wyvern form after Mugman, smiling nervously of course, gave the egg back to the dragon. Since then, Alicia has been a little more cautious when Mugman feels the need to prove his courage. Of course both Cupheads were brave. But at least she knew that Cuppy would never have any stupid ideas, like tying himself to an anchor and then falling into the sea or eating extremely hot chilli peppers. However, this has not seemed to happen so far. Mugman was just practicing his lines like every other participant before a light caught their attention followed by a male voice informing them that the audition was about to take place.
Of course, all the contestants gasped and made their way to the staff member in charge of the list and brought each contestant to the stage while Sally sat down with her husband in the first row of seats. "Let the auditions begin!" Sally announced as the first contestants took to the stage to try out for one of the three roles.
But virtually no one satisfied Sally or her husband. No wonder - it wasn't a talent show, just an audition. Or so Alicia thought when it was Cuphead's turn and he entered the stage carrying a ladder over his head. "Why does the cup need a ladder?" Lucifer asked Alicia before Cuphead broke the laws of physics and made the ladder grow for whatever reason. Or rather, he extended it while casually holding a jug of water in one hand and an empty glass in the other.
Alicia didn't know why he needed this. "I don't know, Lucifer," she said bluntly as her and Lucifer's eyes fell on Cuphead, who threw away the now empty pitcher, shattering it into shards, and placed the full glass of water on the ground next to the still retractable ladder. He resolutely climbed up them while not only Sally and her husband but also Alicia and Lucifer watched Cuphead and wondered what he was up to. Don't tell me he wants to jump into the glass. Well Alicia answered her own question as Cuphead stood at the top of the ladder and with a skillful leap and deep breath jumped off the ladder towards the glass.
Normally, Alicia would get mentally upset again about how illogical the whole thing was, only to realize that she was in a cartoon world and the laws of physics didn't apply. But instead, something completely different happened. A semi-transparent pink shield appeared around the glass. This made the glass float and moved it away from the spot, causing Cuphead to create a hole in the floor of the stage instead of the glass.
"Ouch!" Alicia squinted her eyes while Lucifer also squinted his eyes and bit his lip. The fall must certainly have hurt. But Sally and her husband thought very little of it and only announced the following after dodging a few splinters of wood and boards: "Next!".
Cuphead was therefore out of the running for the leading role. But the question was who was responsible for moving the glass? Oh man, I could have guessed it. Alicia and Lucifer spotted the culprit on the other side behind the curtain. It was none other than the devil himself. "Normally I wouldn't mind a little cheating but I wouldn't go that far" Lucifer explained as he pulled Alicia closer to him.
"It's showtime" But the devil didn't care because at the moment he was only focused on the main role and not on Alicia. He could still flirt with her later when he was the star of the play and admired by the audience. But for now, he had to impress Sally to get the part. He already knew how to do that.
While Sally's husband was removing some splinters of wood that were still on her clothes, she noticed the fog that had formed in the auditorium. "What the..." confused, he stopped and looked around to find the source of the fog while Sally looked worriedly at the stage, which was also shrouded in a thick fog. However, she could make out a person standing on the stage. Neither Sally nor her husband could really say who or what was on stage. However, they suddenly heard a piano being played in C minor. Wait, don't tell me that's the melody from...
Where have all the good men gone
And where are all the gods
Alicia gave herself a face palm when she heard the first words of the song. Lucifer, on the other hand, seemed rather confused. Not because of the song, but because of what his counterpart was wearing. Even though he hadn't stepped into the light yet, the shoes were clearly visible.
Where's the street-wise Hercules
To fight the rising odds
Sally and her husband seemed skeptical at first, but when they heard the voice, they changed their minds.
Isn't there a white knight upon a fiery steed
Late at night toss and turn and dream of what I need
They both wanted to know who or what was standing in front of them on stage singing this song, while Alicia and Lucifer didn't really know what to say about the audition. Well, Alicia could already imagine it when the spotlight was cast on the devil and showed him in his full splendor. Oh boy why pink? she asked herself while Lucifer just shook his head in disbelief. He would never walk around like that.
The Devil wore a pink ensemble with a black top hat and high-heeled boots. All clothes that Alicia wouldn't even think to want to wear or that Lucifer would want to wear. Especially not when the king of the underworld is with his subjects. He conjured them up with the help of his trident while they sang in chorus like the Imps at the ball/crowning ceremony.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the end of the night
Both the Imps and the Devil himself began to dance to the tune of the song, albeit a little strangely but yes they danced. You could say that.
He's gotta be strong
And he's gotta be fast
And he's gotta be fresh from the fight
Sally was amazed when the ground rose from under the devil. Alicia, on the other hand, just covered her eyes while Lucifer smirked. Not because of Alicia, but because of something else.
I need a hero
I'm holding out for a hero 'til the morning light
He's gotta be sure
And it's gotta be soon
And he's gotta be larger than life
Larger than liiii… Aaaahhh!
As the devil slowly gained momentum and stood at the top of his platform, he not only made more imps appear but slipped past them back down to the floor of the stage where he had planned his final act. But a wine-red liquid that appeared behind the stage thwarted his plans. "Whoa! Oh no! Whoa!" he shouted before falling uncontrollably from the stage. "Whoopsies" Lucifer knew where the liquid came from. Alicia, however, didn't and wasn't really surprised to see Cuphead holding a now empty oil can. She wasn't angry with him. Rather the opposite. She was glad that he had cut the devil's performance short before Alicia threw up from embarrassment. The devil landed rather awkwardly and smeared with oil on Sally's husband, who only shouted "Next!" in a rage and smeared with oil.
The devil had his try and it was now Mugman's turn. "Stupid cup", however, Alicia, Mugman and Lucifer heard grumbling, "Great. Now we're both out of the running" as the Devil removes the remaining oil from his fur with the back curtain and sulked with his arms crossed. Yes, he was still angry that he hadn't got the part and therefore couldn't impress Alicia. "Eh, I ain't too worried about Mugman".
Mentioned Cuphead rather confidently although he didn't get the part either with a calm voice while the devil as well as the others paid no attention to him. With the devil it was clear why. But not for Mugman, Cuppy, Lucifer and Alicia. The former two were annoyed by his statement. Mugman in particular because it concerned him. The latter two, however, were less than pleased about what the mug had just said. "He's got..." Cuphead was about to whisper the rest to the devil when suddenly Mugman appeared from behind the curtain, followed by the others.
The devil and Cuphead twitched their pupils as if they had just been caught. "That may be true," Cuppy agreed with Cuphead's statement, which he was about to whisper to the devil before he was interrupted. "But, if you recall, I have a little trick for my stage fright" without many words he stuck his belly out and walked towards the entrance of the stage where Sally was already waiting for the next contestant.
Not only Cuphead and the devil but also Cuppy, Lucifer and Alicia wondered exactly what kind of trick this was. After all, he hadn't revealed what exactly he had planned to do about his stage fright. "Do you have any idea what it could be?" Cuppy asked Lucifer and Alicia in a low voice so that the devil and Cuphead wouldn't hear him. Well, actually they were staring at themselves and wondering what kind of trick Mugman was talking about.
"Well I guess my tip from back then won't really help him" back when Alicia had to collect the soul contracts with Cuppy and his brother Mugman and wanted to collect Sally's, Mugman also seemed nervous and didn't want to go on stage. You could clearly see in his eyes that he had stage fright. But luckily Alicia's tip to imagine the audience naked took away his fear.
However, the stage fright of the Mugman from this world was much worse. He froze into a statue and couldn't do or say anything. Not exactly an advantage if you want to become famous. "I could imagine him..." as the spotlight was switched on, everyone looked towards the stage where Mugman was standing with his back to Sally and her husband, who was still standing oil from his clothes and wearing a blindfold? Okay so it's going to be like that one Spongebob episode? Alicia asked herself, already seeing the chaos that would ensue.
As if on cue, Mugman turned around and began his performance "Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears." Okay, giving him the one book by Blood was probably not a mistake after all. He was surprisingly good, if not terrific. "I have come but to bury Ceasar, not to praise him" Sally and her husband looked skeptical at first after all the disappointments they had had to endure before.
However, Mugsy did not seem to be a disappointment in her eyes. "He is...","...perfect!" Sally's husband couldn't even finish the sentence in amazement. But Sally's statement agreed with his. Yes, the young mug was perfect for the role of Cup Roger. "So let it be with Caesar..." However, those who were less pleased to see Mugman succeed were Cuphead and the Devil. "A blindfold? That's his big trick?" Cuphead didn't believe what he saw before his eyes. Neither did the Devil because if Mugman really gets the part it means that neither he nor the annoying mug next to him will get the part.
"Well, if we can't be Cup Rogers…" Cuphead grinned almost diabolically "Then no one can" and yes the devil was of the same opinion and grinned just as much if not more diabolically than Cuphead before they both decided to hatch a plan that the others would never want to hear about. Let alone want to see. In the corner of his right eye, Lucifer caught sight of Cuphead, who was flipping a lever. "Uh love," Alicia heard Lucifer's worried voice before he lifted her into his arms and grabbed Cuppy by the handle with the help of his tail and ran off the stage.
Not only Alicia but also Cuppy wondered why he was doing this. Both were about to ask what was going on when they heard a rake come loose and the sandbag that was being held by it flew towards the stage while Mugman was auditioning and didn't notice because he was still wearing the blindfold. "...for Brutus is an honorable man" but another rake was released as the devil pulled another lever.
"...my friend, faithful and just" Alicia's eyes pulled back as the two sandbags came closer and closer to Mugman. However, they didn't catch him but Cuphead and the devil. Why? Because Mugman had bent at the right moment. Both Stageplay as well as Cuppy, Lucifer and Alicia could no longer contain their joy and clapped "Bravo!", "Simply wonderful!" Mr. Stageplay wiped away a tear of joy. That's how much he enjoyed the performance that Mugman had presented. "Ah, thank you. Did I get the part?" Mugman asked curiously and happily at the same time as he lifted his blindfold.
But before he got an answer, the two sandbags Cuphead and the devil were hanging on crashed into him. Sally and her husband, who had just praised him for his performance, were now furious. Angry about one thing: "You three are an insult to acting and an abomination to the theater" Sally's husband nodded and grabbed the devil by the collar while he threw him out of the theater into a garbage can. Serves him right! Alicia thought to herself until she realized that Sally wanted to do the same with the two cups.
"Wait!" she shouted before Sally could go through the open door and throw both cups out. The actress stared at Alicia in confusion as both cups groaned in pain, unaware of what had just happened. "I know the three or rather two" Alicia corrected herself before continuing 'have been up to no good but please Mrs. Stageplay please allow the young mug to take the part' Alicia and Sally's eyes looked towards Mugman. Not towards Cuphead. "Sorry, but I'm afraid I'm going to have to confess to him too," Sally explained, not hesitating a second longer and kicking both cups in the butt into two separate garbage cans before turning her attention to the young lady and her companion. "Besides, I've already decided who will get the role of Cup Roger" her choice fell on none other than Lucifer himself who feels a little flattered.
Sally was more than convinced by his physique and character that the role of Cup Roger would suit him. Especially with Alicia as the role of Teacup. "I can see it now. The posters, all the seats filled and the audience asking for more!" Sally's pupils changed from a star to dollar bills falling like rain from the sky. "Alicia is your name right?" Alicia nodded when Sally's husband asked her about her name. Alicia had long since stopped caring how he knew her name. After all, almost every resident seemed to know her name by now. Even Bowlboy, with whom she had little to do, knew it. But what confused Alicia as well as Cuppy and Lucifer was the following request: "Please take on the role of Teacup Deering you would be, no you are the perfect role for it" Sally's husband added while literally begging Alicia on his knees.
But Alicia just shook her head. "I'm sorry to say this but I'm turning down the role" she didn't want to accept the role and she stuck to it. She never wanted to accept any of the three roles, let alone go to the theater at all. She only went because she wanted to support Mugman, nothing more. Sally bit her lip while her husband passed out. She would never have thought that Alicia was serious with her statement. "Does that still mean your husband will take the lead role?" she asked as a precaution.
But once again they were both disappointed when Lucifer told them that he would not accept the lead role if Alicia did not take part in the play. "Oh just great! We don't have anyone left to audition!" growled Sally's husband in frustration and anger as he kicked one of the three garbage cans, giving the devil a bump. Sally knew it would be difficult to reassure her husband, so she let it go. But Alicia seemed to have a solution to the couple's problem. Yes, it might even work. She was sure that Sally would hardly say no to it. "Mr. and Mrs. Stageplay" both actors listened to their names and turned to Alicia who approached them with a smile on her face. A smile that could only mean good things. "I have a solution to your problem".
A few days passed before the performance of the play finally started. The queue outside the theater was huge and the tickets sold out in no time. The auditorium filled up with the last spectators who wanted to see the performance. Some familiar faces were sitting in the middle of the audience. The Baroness sat in the back row with some of her subjects, Lilith who wasn't a fan of the theater sat a few rows in front of her eating popcorn, Brineybeard and Hali sat in the third row from the front and a few Imps who managed to escape the devil's wrath sat scattered around the auditorium and seemed to be either asleep or waiting for the show to start.
"The seats are really good" who were also sitting in the middle of the audience were Alicia and Lucifer 'Yes, I was lucky that Sally gave me the tickets before they were sold out' in her hand Alicia held the said tickets which previously had Sally and her husband's name on them but which had been crossed out and replaced with the names of Alicia and Lucifer. Lucifer was just about to say something when the curtain went up after the thunderous applause and the set could be seen. In addition to a rocket, there were several craters, stars, a crescent moon and a normal moon. Or is that supposed to be an asteroid? Alicia asked herself while mysterious piano music could be heard and the door of the spaceship opened from which the actor playing Cup Rogers emerged.
The actor was neither Sally, nor her husband, nor any other employee of the theater. No, it was Varian, who was wearing a space suit to match his role and a headpiece in the shape of a cup with a futuristic straw while holding a futuristic weapon in his hand. He smiled and breathed in as he walked out of the spaceship "Do not fear. Cup Rogers shall save the day" his voice sounded not only brave but also breathtaking.
"Not so fast, evil Catman" Varian aimed his gun at the actor who had taken on the role of Catman. This someone was, or rather this someone was Sally herself with her husband as her sidekick. The latter pedaled a homemade machine that looked like a laser machine onto the stage while he himself laughed mischievously and suspiciously. The costumes of the two were the same and resembled a cat or rather the devil minus his horns and tail of course. "Nice try, Cup Rogers" Sally giggled mischievously while her husband flipped a switch "But you are too late. Not only did I kidnap your Girlfriend I've already launched my meteor too" the audience gasped as Eira appeared from above connected by ropes. She herself was also wearing a space suit, in pink instead of blue with a matching pink straw to her headpiece that resembled a teacup. "Cup Roger save me!" she shouted in a panicked voice while nothing happened.
Why didn't anything happen? Well, the meteor was missing. Sally noticed this and repeated her sentence again "I said..." and looked sternly behind the curtain at the devil, who just rolled his eyes in annoyance and knew what he had to do. He casually flicked his fingers as if they were a lighter and lit the meteorite in question before driving it onto the stage with the help of the ropes next to it. The audience gasped and applauded.
"What a genius!" said a spectator, cheering up the sad-looking devil a little. His pupils widened and he couldn't help but look curiously into the auditorium to listen to his applause. He liked that they liked him. But he didn't know that the applause was actually directed at someone else. The rest of the performance went without any further problems and the audience loved Varian and Eira. Even though Sally would have loved to have Alicia her goddaughter and her husband Lucifer as the two leads, the audience didn't seem to mind that two complete strangers had taken the lead roles. Everyone was happy with what came out.
Well, almost all of them. The Devil, Cuphead and Mugman didn't seem too happy with their tasks nor that they aren't really a part of the play. But what can you do when all the roles are already taken?
Song: Holding Out For A Hero by Bonnie Tyler