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Mugman loved his brother and sister dearly, but sometimes he couldn’t stand them. Today was one of those days. Miss Chalice thought it would be funny to startle Mugman with firecrackers. He wasn’t sure what her entire plan was, but all he knew was that it went wrong. HORRIBLY WRONG!
The tiny fireworks got into his pants, burning a hole through them. The mug didn’t know what was more humiliating - the incident happening in front of several workers and patrons, or telling his mom Ginette. It was stressful for the youngest triplet.
A small twisted part of him was thankful his father Chips and adopted uncle Rumbulous were scolding Miss Chalice for her prank. They never tolerated that sort of mischief, at least on family, so Chalice was punished. If only that was the end of it. Nope, his troubles continued when he and Cuphead went to their room.
“Do you think Chalice is gonna get strapped for that?” Cuphead asked curiously.
“No . . . But if she does, it serves her right,” Mugman grumbled, “If I’m gonna have a hard time sitting for a while, she should too.” He winced a bit when he sat down on his bed. "After all this trauma, I think I deserve a little treat."
“Oooh, a treat!” Cuphead says giddily.
Mugman gave his brother a blank stare, “A treat for me. Now turn around.”
Cuphead gave him a quizzical look, “Why?”
“Just do it!” Mugman shouted.
Cuphead shrugged and did what he was told, only to peek and see what Mugman was pulling out. A bucket of Halloween candy.
“Hey! How do you still have Halloween candy!?” the oldest exclaimed.
“Cuphead,” Mugman groaned, “I said don’t look!”
“It’s September! How could you possibly not eat your candy for that long?" Cuphead asks, shocked.
"It's called self-control," Mugman replies, taking a piece of candy and shoving the bucket back under the bed. “It’s for those who don’t give into temptation.”
Cuphead rolled his eyes, “This coming from the guy who can’t help himself when it comes to cakes, pies, cookies, and other sweets?”
“Pastries are one thing,” Mugman said as a faint red blush appeared on his face, “Candy’s another.”
He left the room, leaving Cuphead alone. A fatal mistake.
As Mugman enjoyed his piece of candy, Cuphead, unable to control himself, grabbed Mugman’s Halloween bucket and scarfed down all the candy. When Mugman returned, he saw what his brother had done.
“CUPHEAD!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
Patrons and staff alike flinched at the high-pitch scream. Miss Chalice, who was on dish duty as punishment for her prank, abandoned her station to see what was wrong. Several imps accompanied her. They soon realized what happened when they saw Cuphead covered in chocolate and a furious Mugman.
“You ate my candy!” Mugman screamed.
Cuphead snapped out of his sugary daze, realized his mistake and gdropped to his knees to beg.
"I'll make it up to you! I'll do anything!"
"Anything?" Mugman questions
"Anything!" Cuphead answered.
Mugman grabbed Cuphead, took him to the front of the casino entrance, and threw him out, screaming,
“GET OUT OF HERE!”
Cuphead landed on the ground with a thud.
“AND DON’T COME BACK UNTIL YOU’VE LEARNED SOME SELF-CONTROL!” Mugman slammed the casino door shut, leaving Cuphead outside.
The oldest sighed and sulked away. The imps glanced at each other nervously.
“Mugman, it’s not my place to get involved in sibling quarrels, but don’t you think that was harsh?” One asked.
“Maybe, but Cuphead needs to learn some self-control!” Mugman said bitterly.
“This coming from the guy who almost ate the entire desert table by himself?” Another pointed out.
“We’re talking about candy! Not pastries!” Mugman snapped.
“HEY!”
Everyone turned around to see Wheezy standing behind them, looking rather annoyed.
“What the heck’s goin’ on around here!?” he demanded.
Meanwhile, Cuphead walked away from the Casino and ended up in the forest. He was disappointed in himself for what he did to Mugman.
“Stupid lack of self-control,” The boy muttered.
As he sulked, Cuphead was unaware of something rolling his way until it passed him; he gasped in amazement. It was a giant peppermint!
“Soooo, Beautiful,” He awed.
Dazed by the magnificent candy, he followed it through a slot within a tree. He followed the candy down the tunnel until a light showed up ahead. When he exited, he was greeted with an even crazier sight.
Inside the tree was a whole new world, made of sweets! Cookies, cakes, lollipops, chocolate, and all sorts of goodies. Cuphead wandered around this strange and sweet-looking world in astonishment.
“What is this place?” He wondered.
A strange giggle from a giant cake castle answered his question.
“Didn’t you read the sign?”
“The sign” Cuphead turned, and low and behold on the tree, read the words:
WELCOME TO SUGARLAND! LAND OF SWEETS TREATS!
“Oh, that sign.”
“YEP!” The cake castle fired out a woman.
The woman’s slim figure resembled a soda bottle. She has bubble-gum colored skin, very short, curly, maroon-red colored hair, and big lemon-colored eyes, topped off with long eyelashes, and on her lips, hot-pink, heart-shaped lipstick.
The lady wore a reddish-pink dress with a candy cane diagonally-striped bodice with white puff sleeves, darker red flounces that resemble piped icing, and light pink and white speckles on the puffy, floor-length taffeta. She also had white, elbow-length opera gloves with cuffs, a hennin hat resembling an ice-cream cone with a white feather on top, and wields a candy cane staff.
Upon landing next to Cuphead, the lady introduced herself.
“My name is Baroness von Bon Bon!” She greeted happily, “And today’s your lucky day! You get to eat AAAAAALLL the sweet treats you desire!” The baroness gave Cuphead a big goofy smile.
Cuphead . . . did not return the gesture.
“AAAAAND goodbye!”
The boy turned away from the strange woman and walked away. The baroness followed after him.
“Hey, where are you going? I offered you AAAAALLL the sweet treats you desire! Ain’t you gonna eat my sweets?” She asked with a puppy-dog pout.
Cuphead scoffed.
“First off, that came off wrong. Second, I don’t think so, lady! I may not be bright, but I’m no idiot!”
The boy glared up at the strange, perky woman.
“Nothin’ in this world is free. There’s always a price.” He replied, “Besides, My ma, pops, uncles, aunts, and Elder Kettle warned me to never take candy from strangers. And you’re pretty strange to me.”
Despite working for the most feared being on the Inkwell Isles, The King’s court made some pretty powerful enemies. Ones who could use the Cup trio to their advantage. Hence the reason Ginette was very strict on the candy from strangers rule.
“Papa told me if I took candy from people like you, it could be poisonous or have somethin’ sharp in it,” The boy prattled, “Plus, it could be a trap to get me into yer car so you can kidnap me, and do bad things to me; kill me, ransom me, brainwash me for some reason, force me to buy a condo or something else that’s gross. And even if that’s not the case, I read the fairytales.”
The Boy eyed the baroness suspiciously.
“I eat your candy, and one of the following happens.” Cuphead ranted, “I get turned into an animal like a frog. I get cursed to sleep for a hundred years. I get turned into a statue. I become some mutant brainwashed minion. Worst-case scenario, I end up in an oven.”
Cuphead pointed at Bon Bon accusingly, “You just wanna do something horrible to me, like give me an unwanted hug, sell me something, or eat me.”
Bon Bon chuckled, “This is funny! You’re funny! Funny guy!” She laughs out loud, “I’m a Baroness, and I would never do any of that stuff.”
She leaned close to Cuphead and held up a cupcake, “Besides, I only eat sweet treats.”
The baroness kissed the cupcake and then devoured it.
“Okay, kinda unhealthy, but I'm sorry I misjudged you, Ms. Baroness,” Cuphead apologized.
“Oh please, we’re friends now. Call me The!” Bon Bon giggled, leaving Cuphead confused.
She dashed away from Cuphead and ended up behind a giant truffle.
"Now I gotta say, I admire how you resisted my veeeeeery tempting offer."
Bon Bon appeared on top of a giant jawbreaker and grinned at the boy.
"Most disgusting children just caaaaaaaan't resist."
She then appeared on top of a giant ice cream cone, chuckling and grinning at Cuphead, who was startled.
"You got a reeeeeeeal creepy way about you, lady," Cuphead said, a little freaked out by the woman’s unsettling demeanor.
Bon Bon only grins at the boy.
“I don’t get out much. Being the protector and leader of Sugarland is an honor and a big responsibility. You never know when some out-of-control sugar maniac might sneak in and take more than what they need.”
“I guess that’s true,” Cuphead said sheepishly.
“But like I said,” Bon Bon says, “You are free to eat as many sweets as you like.” She slides down the ice cream, then stands tall and proud in front of Cuphead. “So long as you never break the following rules.”
Bon Bon gets in Cuphead’s face as she shouts and narrows her eyes, “Rule #1! Tell no one about the secret entrance to Sugarland!"
“Secret entrance? You mean the tree?” Cuphead asked.
“Yep,” The Baroness answers, “We have a specific entrance we want our guests to enter. So, in the future, use that.” She hands Cuphead a small map, showing him where the main entrance to Sugarland is. “We had problems with people sneaking through those secret entrances to steal from us. We may share the sugar in our land, but the more it’s stolen, the longer it takes to regenerate. This leads me to my second rule.
“Rule #2!” Bon Bon exclaims, “Eat ALL the candy you desire, except for the following; the residents, since that still counts as cannibalism despite the species difference, their homes, and any of the ones marked on the maps. Those ones are off limits due to regeneration or for the needs of my people. If you want something from there, you need special permission. Got it.”
“Got it,” Cuphead answered. "And don't worry. I’d never eat anything that talks.”
“Good boy," Bon Bon pats Cuphead's head, "Oh, and one of the places you can't eat is my Candy Castle," she says, pointing at said building, "Not even a little itty–bitty, teensy-weensy bite."
"Works for me." Cuphead rubbed his hands eagerly. "There's so much tasty stuff here. Why would I want to eat your castle?"
"You wouldn't," Bon Bon twirls her candy cane and whispers to Cuphead," Unless you find it…Irresistible."
Suddenly, Cuphead look at Bon Bon's castle. It looks like a giant cake decorated with pink and white color frosting, icing, and different kinds of candy and sweets.
Looking at it, Cuphead starts to get tempted.
"It is a tasty-looking castle," Cuphead said, biting his tongue a bit.
Bon Bon smirks, “It is.”
She turns around and says, "I'll just turn my back, in case you want to sneak a bite."
As he looks at the cake, Cuphead feels like he’s under a spell. The desire to take a bit starts to allure him.
"Maybe just a little teensy-weensy taste."
Cuphead looked at the castle, drooling. Bon Bon smirks as she watches Cuphead getting tempted by the second.
Suddenly Cuphead shakes his head, “No, no! No teensy-weensy bites!”
“Cuphead!”
The boy’s head shot up when he heard a familiar voice. It was his mother, Ginette! She’s looking for him. He looks at Bon Bon.
“Um, thank you for having me here, ma’am, but I gotta go!” He takes off past her.
Despite the boy running off, the Baroness didn’t look worried, “He’ll be back.” She said casually, “They always come back.” She waves and giggles sinisterly as Cuphead leaves.
“Toodaloo.”
Cuphead ran out of the tree and ended up back in the forest. He breathed heavily as he looked around for his mother.
“Mom!?”
“Cuphead!”
Straight ahead of the boy lay Ginette.
When the woman saw Cuphead running out of the tree, her heart beat rapidly. She instantly ran up to the boy and hugged him tightly.
“Cuphead, are you alright?” She asked.
“I’m fine, Mama,” Cuphead reassured.
“Good,” She sighed with relief and looked at the tree behind him in worry.
“Mama?” Cuphead grew uneasy at his mother’s silence.
Ginettle got down to her son’s level.
“Cuphead, you listen to me,” She said firmly, “You are to NEVER go through that tree again, and you are to never tell anyone what you saw. Do you understand me?”
Cuphead looked surprised. Did his mother know about Sugarland too?
“Cuphead!” Ginette spoke up again, only a bit louder.
“Y-Yeah, yeah. I understand.” He answered.
“Good.” She said, pulling her son away, “Come on. We gotta stop by the store.”
“What for?” Cuphead asked.
“I think you know what for, King Candy,” Ginette teased.
Cuphead blushed, “So uh…Mugman told you?”
Ginette nods, “Although I’m not happy you ate his candy, I’m also displeased he threw you out of the casino like that. Thankfully Wheezy’s going to have a little talk with him.”
Cuphead shrank at that. Out of all of his uncles, Wheezy was the one NONE of the triplets wanted to get scolded at. Just like Mr. Scratch, He could reduce a grown man to tears – Cuphead should know; he saw his uncle do it several times. Mugman was going to be a puddle once he got back.
And he was right. Mugman was in tears. Chalice and Elder Kettle attempted to calm him down, with no success, but the second Cuphead and Ginette walked through the casino doors, Mugman rushed up to Cuphead and gave him a big hug.
“I’M SORRY I THREW YOU OUT TO BE HUNTED DOWN BY WOLVES, HOBOS, STRANGERS, AND INSURANCE SALESMEN!!!!!!” He bawled.
Ginette and Cuphead looked at Wheezy skeptically.
“Don’t look at me,” The cigar man said defensively, “All I did was scold him for throwing his brother out. Phear Lap’s the one who scared him.”
Phear lap gave Gin a nervous smile and tried to ignore the angry glares the others were giving him.
“And you say me and Ethan are too blunt,” Hopcus snapped, offended.
“Hey, I was reminding him why it’s dangerous to throw his siblings out of the house and why it’s not safe to wander by yourself. You guys gave them the stranger-danger talk too!” Phear lap snapped.
“P.L., You told Mugman that Cuphead could get eviscerated and thrown into a ditch for the buzzards!” Mr. Chimes exclaimed.
“It’s a sick world out there. I want them to be ready.” Phear lap huffed.
Ginette decided to take the kids and Elder Kettle into the kitchen so they could avoid listening to this. She had to get them settled before talking to her comrades.
The kitchen staff dispersed when the five entered. Mugman was still crying as he hugged his brother, who was getting uncomfortable.
“Mugman, please stop crying,” Ginette soothed, “Cuphead’s alright.”
“Yeah Mugsy, I’m fine,” Cuphead held out a bag of candy, “Look, I got you a new bag of candy, and I didn’t even eat a piece. I did that self-control thing.”
Mugman stopped crying and accepted the bag.
“Thanks, Cuphead,” He wiped his eyes, “I’m sorry I threw you out. I don’t want you hurt because I got mad at you.”
“And I’m sorry for eating your candy.” Cuphead apologized.
“And I’m sorry about the firecracker thing. This wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t done that dumb prank,” Chalice added meekly. “We cool?”
The trio hugged.
“We’re cool,” Mugman said.
Kettle and Gin smiled.
“Our kids.” Elder Kettle smiled. Ginette nodded.
With the situation under control, Ginette rounded up the King’s court members in the cellar after the casino closed.
“We need to talk,” She said to the group, “We got a situation.”
“Situation? I thought it was handled,” Phear Lap groaned, “Unless you’re gonna nag at me for how I scolded Mugman – “
“Not that, Ding-dong,” Ginette said bluntly, “But you need to be less graphic in the future. Cuphead found the tree.”
The tree? The others started muttering to themselves, wondering what Ginette meant. That’s when Pirouletta spoke.
“Um, By the tree, do you mean -”
Ginette’s eyes narrowed, “Yes, Pirouletta. The one that leads to . . . her realm.”
Baroness von Bon Bon considered herself a strict but fair person. She was very friendly and welcoming to those who entered Sugarland. It was why Bon Bon partnered up with Djimmie and Beppi to make her home part of the carnival’s attractions. Still, she had rules she expected to be obeyed without question.
First-timers who broke the rules would get a strict warning, but repeated ones would get banned and an earful. Those who crossed the sugar baroness would find out she’s not all sugar and spice, and her castle/pet, Whippet Creampup, backed up that claim. Even with her strength, there was so much Bon Bon could do when preserving the resources in Sugarland for her people.
There was a limit to how much the sweets in the land could regenerate, especially when the subjects needed the materials to sustain their lives. So Bon Bon went to the Inkwell Devil for help – to better protect Sugarland from those with no self-control or who wanted to extort the resources to a point where it spelled trouble for her kingdom. Of course, there was a price – there always was one. For now, it was something reasonable, delivering sweets or ingredients to the casino, easy peasy. Still, the Baroness wasn’t a fool; she knew the Inkwell Devil was prone to changing his mind and altering the terms of the conditions.
A reasonable number of sweet treats could turn into a larger quantity if there was a high demand for them at the casino. It wouldn’t matter what the sweet monarch told Mr. Scratch – if he wanted it, he would have it, or else the deal was done. Even then, who knows how far it would go until the Inkwell devil wanted something more. Something that could make the deal perinate without giving up any of the sweets in Sugarland, but could guarantee her people’s safety . . . her soul.
Baroness Von Bon Bon refused to let that happen; if she gave up her soul to keep the deal going, Sugarland would be under the Inkwell Devil’s complete control. The woman seen it happen before. Businesses or territories would belong to Mr. Scratch when the leader/owner gave up their soul. She shuttered at the thought of her and her people being that man’s pawns. That’s when Kernel von Pop told her about the three cup children living at the casino.
Bon Bon wondered if they belonged to the Inkwell Devil, but it turned out they were the adopted children of his underlings. Then an idea hit her. Why not lure them here? The cups would be tempted by the sweets to the point where they broke the rules – it always happened to newcomers, especially children. The only difference is Bon Bon would in-act the small curse she inflicts on those who truly lose self-control - The one that transformed them into candy! It may be dirty, but at this point, Bon Bon was ready to do anything to get out of her contract without losing the power to keep her home safe. Bon Bon stood outside her balcony, eagerly waiting for the cup boy to return, hopefully with his siblings. Surely, he had told them about the secret entrance. Right?
“Eh, I’m sure he will,” Bon Bon said confidently. She walked back inside her home, “They always come back.”
“You sure about that, Bon Bon?”
Bon Bon turned and gasped and turned. It was one of the casino staff members, Ginette! The baroness went to convert her candy cane staff into a gun, but Ginette grabbed it the second the other woman raised it. Ginette snapped the candy cane into pieces. The baroness dropped the remains and stepped back, growling.
“GUARDS! GUARDS!”
“Don’t bother,” Ginette said curtly, “The others took care of your court. They’re not dead, but they won’t help you.” Ginette got up in Bon Bon’s face, “And if you know what’s good for them, don’t call your little pet either.”
The baroness hissed at the woman. “You dirty cowards!”
Ginette almost laughed. “This coming from the woman who lured my son into a world that screams diabetes?”
Bon Bon’s eyes narrowed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” She said defensively.
“Don’t play dumb with me, yah Cotton Candy con-artist,” Ginette snapped, “The muffin man sang. And I’m not talking about Muffsky Chernikov” She pointed at the door.
Ol’ Ethan and Rumulus shoved an andromorphic muffin man with an ice cream hat (at a jaunty angle) into the room. He was shaken. Bon Bon recognized him.
“Benny!?” She gasped.
“I-I’m sorry . . . Bon Bon,” The ice cream man shivered. “T-They t-threatened to m-melt . . . all of . . . the f-flavor of th-the day . . ."
Benny passed out from the stress. Bon Bon glared at them.
“You heathens! He’s done nothing but bring joy in the form of delicious frozen dairy treats!”
“He’s the least of your worries, Bon Bon,” Ginette said as she circled the baroness dangerously. “He told us about your little scheme to get out of your contract.”
Bon Bon felt herself sweat as Ginette moved away from her and walked up to the counter where Bon Bon had some of her snacks laid out. Ginette kept her back turned as she eyed the treats. Ol’ Ethan and Rumulus entered the room with the rest of the King’s court. Bon Bon’s heart beat rapidly.
The Inkwell Devil’s minions were circling her, looking ready to commit murder. The baroness's underlings were out of commission, she had no weapons to protect her, and she couldn’t summon whippet without risking her people’s safety. She was screwed.
Ginette grabbed a chocolate-covered pretzel stick and examined it.
“What was your plan, Bon Bon?” she questioned the Baroness while looking at the treat in her hands. “Were you planning on luring my son here so you could kidnap him? Hope he would break rule one and blab to my other kids. Maybe bring them here so they could eat and break your other rules? Turn them into candy-folk and add them to your army? Or hold them hostage?”
Ginette turned back to Bon Bon, “And use them as leverage so the others and I would, oh I don’t know, get your contract destroyed? Is that what you had in mind?” Ginette crushed the pretzel into dust, scaring the baroness.
Ginette moved towards the cowering monarch. She grabbed Bon Bon by her head and pulled her face close to hers - their eyes locked.
“Listen well, you sugar-coated, candy-assed bitch, whose insanity is enough to make Willie Wonka sane,” Ginette snarled, “If you ever look at my children again, you’re dead! If you bring them back here, I’ll rip your fucking heart out and throw it to the boss’s finest demons! If you try to harm them or send anyone to do your dirty work, losing your soul will be the least of your gosh-damn problems!”
Ginette threw Bon Bon hard to the ground. Bon Bon shuddered at the enraged woman.
“Your soul contract is between you and the boss! It’s got nothing to do with the rest of us! Me and the rest of the King’s court may not be saints, but we don’t go after any of the debtors! We just run the casino and don’t do anything else unless the boss says so.”
Ginette dangerously loomed over Bon Bon.
“My children are innocent! So, keep them out of your vendetta! And make sure everyone else who owes the boss knows it. Got it?”
Bon Bon nodded.
Satisfied, Ginette nodded at Hopcus. The rabbit summoned the elevator. The King’s court piled into the elevator, ready to go home. Ginette lingered for a moment to give the baroness one final warning.
“The next time you show your pastry-coated ass at the casino, it better be for business or to settle your debt!” Ginette snapped as she got into the elevator. “Otherwise, we’ll be collecting your soul, and we’ll bring your fucking headless corpse to the boss as proof!”
“Oh, and if you wanna find the rest of your minions, look in the basement,” Hopcus added.
POOF
The elevator disappeared., leaving Baroness von Bon Bon alone with the now awake Benny.
“Would you like to hear the flavor of the day?” He said in a daze.
Chalice and Cuphead finished setting the table when they heard the elevator ding.
“Ma, Pops, and the others are back,” Cuphead commented.
“I wonder where they went off to.” Chalice wondered.
The twelve adults greeted them as Mugman and Elder Kettle came out with dinner; spaghetti with meatballs, garlic cheese bread, and salad.
“Oh, hi guys,” Mugman waved, “You’re just in time for dinner.”
“Pasta tonight.” Elder Kettle said.
“Nice!” Wheezy rubbed his hands together.
"My fav!" Mangosteen exclaimed with glee.
The family took their seats to enjoy their supper when Cuphead asked.
“Where did you guys go?”
“Oh, nowhere important,” Ginette answered.
“Except for grabbing dessert,” Chips said, presenting a large piece of cake for everyone to share.
Elder Kettle and the triplets were awed.
“Where’d you get it?” the old man asked.
Back in Sugarland, Baroness Von Bon Bon was up to her neck in problems. From freeing her minions from the basement to surveying the damage the King’s court caused. Including a large chunk of her castle, aka her pet Whippet, missing.
Whippet Creampup whimpered as his mistress tended to him.
“Don’t worry, my little baby,” Bon Bon soothed, “When I see them punks again, I’ll make sure they’ll regret stepping foot in Sugarland!”
“Miss Bon Bon,” A jellybean soldier appeared, “There’s a slight problem.”
Bon Bon groaned, “What KIND of problem, Lieutenant Beanie?”
The Baroness got her answer when her lieutenant informed her about a raid in their sweet reserves, plus a note that read:
Thanks for the sweet treats! Our guests will surely enjoy your generous donation. Toodles.
- PIP N DOT
Bon Bon wanted to ram her face into the wall.
“UN . . . FLIPPIN’ BELIEVABLE!”