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elm-writes-stories · 1 year ago

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Wish(A Cuphead AU) Chapter Two:

*Hey guys! I'm back with another chapter of the Wish AU with the Cuphead characters. Now things are going to get interesting. This chapter is published on December 16, 2023. If you guys like this chapter, don't be afraid to reblog, heart it, and comment! That would be greatly appreciated! Have a blessed day!*

The dinner at Porkrind’s shop was silent. In the back crowded room with all the strange collections filling the shelves, each of the family had bowls of food in their hands.

Cassidy hadn’t been talking, which was concerning Porkrind throughout the silence. He couldn’t take it anymore when he let out a sigh.

“Okay, what’s on your mind?” Porkrind asked Cassidy.

“Hm?” Cassidy questioned.

“I’ve seen how you are throughout the ceremony. You look like you were ready to break down crying. Are you doing okay?” Porkrind confronted her.

Cassidy kept her mouth for a second. She took a deep breath and said, “I’m just happy for the new couple giving their wishes to the king.”

“That ain’t no tears of happiness,” Porkrind pointed out.

“Po,” Shayna spoke softly, her voice weak a little.

Jerry looked at the one-eyed pig. “Just eat. It’s probably nothin’ to worry about.”

Cassidy bit her bottom lip. Oh, Jerry couldn’t be more wrong. She kept eating her soup from the bowl until she had to put on the courage.

“Actually, there is something I need to tell you guys,” Cassidy finally said.

Porkrind, Shayna, and Jerry leaned forward in anticipation.

Before she was about to tell them, she gasped to see a card of ace of spades with eyes watching her. A realization came to her when she saw the card gesturing her to zip her lips. King Dice might have sent that card to spy on her to make sure she wouldn’t open her mouth.

She shifted her gaze to see her family pale again, reminding her that their souls were in danger if she were to spill the beans.

With a sigh, she lied, “Natalie wants to take me shopping tomorrow night. So…I might be back late.”

“Aw, you don’t have to keep that from us,” Shayna replied. “You and Natalie go have fun.”

“That’s not what you’re about to tell us,” Porkrind replied.

“Porks—” Jerry groaned.

“Cassidy, what are you hiding from us?” the pig questioned. “You don’t have to hide anything from us.”

“You don’t understand,” she muttered.

“What don’t I understand?” Porkrind interrogated.

“Po, calm down,” Shayna scolded Porkrind.

“No, whatever she’s hiding, it’s causing her to hurt. She doesn’t have to hide it—”

“She’ll tell it to us on her own time,” Jerry cut Porkrind off. “Give her time.”

Cassidy bit her bottom lip ragged.

Porkrind sighed to surrender. “Fine. Fine. You don’t have to tell us anything.”

She wanted to cry because she did want to tell them. She wanted to warn them so badly of King Luci’s deceit of his identity. But they would never understand if she told them or the repercussions of what happens when she tells them. She was too afraid of what King Luci will do to their souls if she did say something.

It was getting to the point where she couldn’t sit still.

She got up from her seat and ran out the door of Porkrind’s shop.

The three adults looked on with concern, noticing the way she exited the shop.

“She’s definitely hiding something from us,” Porkrind said, now convinced more than ever.

Shayna frowned. “We need to give her time. Maybe she’ll tell us eventually. Whenever she’s ready.”

“Yeah,” Jerry chirped in agreement.

“I’ll give her the same respect, but I can’t just sit idly while watching her hurt inside.”

“I know, Po. I know,” Shayna said while rubbing his shoulder.

~.~

The soft music played in the background as Cassidy strode through the woods, tears in her eyes. She hugged herself and she started to sing in a croaked voice.

“Why can’t I just tell them?

Am I not as brave as Nat has said?

If I tell them about everything I’ve seen,

Would they believe me if they knew?

Would they open their eyes to the truth?”

Cassidy hugged her shoulders, more tears streaming down on her cheeks.

“But when I speak, no words came out.

How can I tell them when it can kill them?

Oh, this is what happens when we make our wish to him.

Did the generations before us know about this? Maybe not.”

Cassidy glanced up at the stars twinkling at the sky, straightening up. She wiped her tears away and started to sing her heart out.

“So, I will wish upon the stars tonight.

And pray it will be granted.

Mom’s desire to become a singer.

Porkrind’s want to expand his business.

Jerry’s dream to become an entertainer.

My wish for one true love.”

Cassidy frowned once she mentioned her own wish in the mix. She sighed and clutched her chest with her paws.

“Now, I make this wish,

To restore the souls deceived by him.

Now, I make this wish,

To restore the souls deceived by him.”

Cassidy could hear the choir of invisible beings singing in the background as she traveled through the woods towards the tree by cliff.

“Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah.

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah.

Restore the souls.”

Cassidy climbed up on the tree to the branch and saw her father’s grave. She took deep breaths and sat on the branch to look up at the stars.

“I never knew there’s more than just wishing to the king.

Yeah, people come to give wishes to him, but they won’t be granted.

Now I’ve been freed from the manipulation,

I’ve seen how messed up our society has become because of him.”

Cassidy climbed down the tree and approached in front of her father’s grave as if she was talking to him.

“But should I let my fears control me?

‘Cause I feel so small

In the world full of giants.

We have generations of lifelessness.

It’s no wonder everyone here is dying inside.

If I can change their minds, how will I go about it?

My confidence shrinks, but I will look up.

Just like how I promised you once.”

Cassidy caressed her father’s grave with a small smile to remember her father and she were sitting on the branch she would usually sit on to look up at the stars.

Cassidy sang her heart out, her environment changing all around her. The winds picked up, blowing against her ebony hair and her skirt of her purple dress. She spread her arms out and closed her eyes, not caring if the winds pick her up and carry her away from this place.

“So, I will wish upon the stars tonight

And pray it will be granted.

Natalie’s wish to have courage.

Chalice’s dream to become a top dancer.

Canteen’s desire to own a mechanic shop.

Bowlboy’s wants to be a knight.

Cuphead’s ambition to explore the world.”

Cassidy opened her eyes, sparkled by the starlit sky. She climbed up on the branch of the tree and stood on it, extending her paw out to the biggest star that shined the brightest.

“Now, I make this wish,

To restore the souls deceived by him.

Now, I make this wish,

To restore the souls deceived by him.”

The invisible choir could be heard around her, but she didn’t care where they came from.

“Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah (Now I make this wish)

Hey, yeah, yeah, yeah, ah-ah (To restore the souls deceived)

Restore the souls deceived, oh-ah-ah.”

Cassidy cupped the bottom of the brightest star and sang the last part softly.

“Now, I make this wish.

To restore the souls deceived by him.”

The music ended with a high note until the star started to glow brighter. Cassidy was blinded by the glow that covered her surroundings, but something was off. It was almost like it was someone falling towards her. She could see someone being thrown at her with a scream. She yelped and ducked her head, watching the glow flew over her head and crashed through the woods behind her with strange grunts.

She straightened up and widened her eyes to realize that she was covered in sparkles. “Sparkles?” She noticed her dress glowing, causing her to be lifted up in the air. She yelped in fear and grabbed the branch.

“What the heck?” Cassidy gasped and then she fell on her feet on the ground. The feline looked ahead to find the glow in the dark woods. “What…is that?”

~.~

Cassidy followed the sparkles that create a pathway through the dark forest. She could see the grass became…greener than she expected. The bushes have eyes and mouths that weren’t normal. The trees came to life, watching the red feline making her way through the woods.

“Hello?” Cassidy called the glow in the dark. She finally approached it to find young boy laying up against the tree.

“Shh, he’s sleeping,” the talking tree he was laying up against said to the feline.

“No, I’m not,” the glowing boy groaned. He moved around, his cape covering his entire head. “Man, I should learn to land better, huh?”

He lifted the cape off of his head to reveal a cup headed boy with a big blue nose and a blue-striped straw that stuck straight up. He focused on Cassidy, examining her from head to toe. He then leaned on his side, his hand propping his head up.

“Hey,” the star cup greeted.

She arched a brow at him. “Who are you?”

He hovered off of his feet, causing her to wince at his sudden movement. “Why, I’m the wishing star. Well, my actual name is Mugman. But I’m part of the Wishing Star Legion. You can say I’m kind of a newbie around here.”

He whispered the last part while leaning his elbow against the mushroom on the tree with a smile, leaving gold sparks on the top of it.

“Yeah, he’s definitely a newbie,” the mushroom spoke out nowhere.

Mugman widened his eyes in shock and moved his arm away from the mushroom. “Oops…I did not mean to make you talk.” Mugman shifted his attention to Cassidy. “Heh, sorry, it’s my first time here. Anyways, I’m here right now. What wish do you want me to grant?”

Cassidy blinked in disbelief. “Wait, wait, Wishing Star Legion? I didn’t think that exists.”

“Yeah, no princess knew about the Wishing Star Legion.”

“Oh, no, no, I’m not a princess.”

“Oh, that’s okay, you look like one to me,” Mugman replied. Then he blushed. “I mean, you looked like royalty. I’m sorry for the mistake.”

“And you’ve never been here before.”

“Well, I’ve never been sent here before. I’ve been to this world plenty of times…but, uh, I’ve never been here in…what is this place called?”

“Inkwell Isles.”

“Ah, yeah, that’s right. Well, what wish do you want me to grant?”

“How many can you grant?”

“Well, I’m here for as long as you need me.” He paused for a second with a blush. “I don’t mean that to be a flirty remark.”

She chuckled. “It’s okay.”

“But I am here for as long as you need me. The Fairy God-Kettle created the Wishing Star Legion to grant many wishes around the world. Or if the wishes were bad and unhealthy, we were sent there to help those that wished those awful things change their minds. Sometimes it works. Sometimes it doesn’t. It’s sad when it doesn’t though.”

Mugman looked away with a frown for a second before shifting his attention to Cassidy. “But I’m sure your wish isn’t that bad, right?”

“Well…it’s not bad…but it’s…risky.”

“Risky? Huh, never encountered a wish that’s risky. What is it exactly?”

Cassidy took a deep breath. “I wish to restore the souls to the people deceived by King Luci.”

“Oh, that isn’t bad…but why risky?”

“Because the people I’m wishing for is…mostly everyone here in the Inkwell Isles.”

“Oh…and the souls—did they lose their passion or…?”

“No, the king took the souls from innocent people and had them locked up in the soul vault in some…fiery place.”

Mugman widened his eyes. “It…doesn’t happened to be Hell you’re talking about, right?”

“I guess so.”

The mug gasped in fear. “Oh no, no, no, that’s Hell. And the king…oh, son of a gun.”

“What?”

“That’s the Devil. He’s been devouring souls since the beginning of time. Does anyone know about this?”

She shook her head.

“Those poor people,” he muttered.

“Can you help me? If it’s too much, then I understand if you don’t—”

“No, I will help,” Mugman replied. “But the thing is…I can’t snap their souls back to their bodies. We need to find a way get those souls out of Hell. If I remembered correctly, if we burn soul contracts of the people he took wishes from, their souls would no longer be tied to Hell.”

Cassidy’s smile brightened.

“Hey, there’s this card spying on you both—” the tree next to them said while holding King Dice’s card in its branch.

Cassidy gasped in fear. “Oh no.”

“Oh no what?” Mugman questioned.

“It’s one of the king’s spies.”

��Oh, the Devil’s spies. Say no more,” he responded and took the card to rip it to shreds. He plucked the eyeballs and made them disappeared in his sleeves. “There, now we don’t have to worry about the spies.”

Cassidy took a moment to ponder. “We need a plan to get into the castle and fast. And…I think I might just know the way.”

~.~

In the early morning, when the bell rang loudly to wake the kingdom, Cassidy had a blue hood, sneaking through alleyways of the town.

Mugman followed behind her, wary of his steps. He seemed fascinated with the city around him until he looked at her, watching her every movement with interest.

However, his attention was off of her, and he noticed a chef pig selling hot dogs with a gloomy look on his face. He read the price for hotdogs was about fifteen dollars a hotdog. It was no wonder the chef wasn’t getting any customers. He covered the price sign with his hand and slid against it, changing it to a dollar and sixty-nine cents with added words, “Buy one, and get two free”. The customers came to the chef pig’s stall in an instant, buying all the hotdogs he could ever imagined.

Mugman smiled and continued with his walk with Cassidy.

He noticed the lady selling fruits and vegetables, but they don’t appear fresh. He walked up to the stall and spread his gold sparkles, freshening up the fruits. The lady seemed shock at the gesture. She took a small bite of her apple, and her confusion melted into a grateful smile.

He gave her a grin back and continued walking with Cassidy.

He noticed a group of children playing, with one of the boys stealing a toy from the little girl. The little girl was left crying and chasing after the boys who stole her toy. With a huff of annoyance, he took the toy from the boy’s hand when the boy ran past him and gave it back to the girl when she came up to him. She held her toy close to her chest, giving him the satisfaction that he helped someone. The toy was covered in sparkles, causing it to come to life in her arms. The little girl almost screamed until the toy showed how friendly it was by dancing with her. The little girl giggled and danced with the toy, who was now her new friend.

He noticed a humanoid lady named Hilda, limping around with metal parts. Her brown short hair frizzy and red outfit falling apart. She looked up at him. She faked a grin, but he could see pain in her eyes. He walked up to her with a sympathetic gaze. He took her hands gently and watched the glow fill her body, getting rid of the red twisted part in her soul. A glow came from her chest, straightening her up. She could walk better now and she’s flying in the air without having limitations and hurting from flying so much. He beamed when he watched her take off.

He noticed an elderly woman sweeping near the fountain, sweeping all by herself. She appeared to be slow, her back pain bothering her. He rubbed his chin and snapped his fingers, making more brooms appear with arms and brushes as their feet. Her broom came to life as well, sweeping the floor around her. She seemed in shock before more brooms showed up and guided her to her lawn chair under the shade of the palm tree. One of the brooms got out a pillow to ease her lower back and the other two brooms helped her sit down on the lawn chair. The other broom showed up with a palm branch and fanned her from the heat. The brooms were multiplied magically and swept the entire square around the fountain.

He caught up with Cassidy as they hid behind the wall. They peeked around the wall to find the entrance of the castle.

“There’s the entrance to the castle. Only Cuphead and Bowlboy knows that secret entrance. Maybe Canteen too since he’s snuck into the castle many times. Or we can blend in with the—.”

She looked back and noticed the brooms cleaning around the square magically while the people behind them seemed happier than they were before. She looked at him, who stared back at her.

“Yes?” Mugman responded.

She smiled softly at him. “Nothing. Nothing at all”

He looked around the town some more. “Man, you guys have so many diverse folks here. Who’s the queen?”

“King, actually. Two kings ruled the kingdom.”

“Oh, wow. Most countries don’t have that.”

“Mugman, I need you to focus. We can take the secret way or we can enter through the entrance.”

“We can split up and try both ways.”

“Great idea. We can meet in the closet in the kitchen. Or wait…you can teleport us there, right?”

“Well…if the castle is magic resistant, we can’t really risk it,” Mugman responded.

“Okay, then let’s split up. And don’t try to stand out,” Cassidy whispered to him before taking off to find Cuphead and Bowlboy.

Mugman snapped his fingers to disguise himself with a spark.

Meanwhile, Cassidy snuck through the plaza and reached for the stables at the back of the castle. She noticed Cuphead and Bowlboy working raking the hay. She decided to hide within the pile Cuphead was working on, but was stopped by someone.

She gasped in fear until she realized that it was just Canteen.

“What are you doing?” Canteen asked.

“Uh…sneaking into the castle,” she answered.

“Oh cool, I know a shortcut. It would take long for Cuphead to notice ya anyway. C’mon.” Canteen led Cassidy towards the trimmed bushes, which was noticed by Bowlboy. Bowlboy arched a brow in confusion for a second before going back to work.

Cassidy followed Canteen towards the side door, which they saw King Dice by the front entrance of the castle. She noticed how his arms were crossed with a sneer on his face. He appeared to be angry.

“So, since you’re with me, you get a sneak peek of the latest theory I came up with. So, you know how Cuphead said that the wishes might possibly be locked into a vault yesterday? Well, I thought up a joke-theory that the wishes were not the only ones locked up in the vault, but people’s souls as well. I know that it sounds ridiculous and there’s not enough evidence—”

Cassidy turned her head to Canteen and placed her paws on his shoulders. “Canteen, you can have so many wrong theories or theories without proof. But for this theory, or joke-theory you have, you’re right.”

Canteen blinked in confusion. “Wait, what?”

“You need to swear to me that you’ll never say anything to anyone about it. People’s lives are at risk if this secret gets out.”

Canteen zipped his lips and crossed his heart. “Cross my heart and hope to die.”

“Which hopefully will be never.”

“What?”

“The mere fact I’m even telling you this is risking your life,” Cassidy responded to Canteen.

“Oh, well, me being here every day is risking my life, sooo, this isn’t my first rodeo.”

“What the hell—?!”

Cassidy and Canteen turned their heads to notice King Dice staring at someone in the distance. It was a woman cup with big breasts. She wore a cyan-colored dress, a bright maroon fluffy scarf, and a silver headband with a maroon feather.

“Hi, your Majesty,” Mugman’s voice came in but with a higher pitch in an attempt to sound feminine. “I’m Tallulah. Tallulah Piccolo.”

Cassidy dropped her jaw once she recognized Mugman’s voice.

King Dice arched a brow and smirked. “My, my, haven’t seen you around here before. You must be one of the new tourist.”

“Nah, I’ve been here for a while. I don’t come out much since I’ve been a washed up dancer for years, but I’ve heard that you are holding auditions for dancing and I thought I would give dancing another try,” Mugman answered as Tallulah Piccolo.

King Dice arched a brow. “Huh, I didn’t think we have any auditions for the dances.”

Mugman became discouraged as Tallulah. “Aw, I must have heard wrong then. Well, since I’m here, do you have a bathroom I could use?”

“Uh, yeah, by the kitchen,” King Dice responded while pointing into the castle.

“Thank you, your Highness,” Mugman responded while walking into the castle with his heels clicking on the tile floor.

Cassidy blushed and looked at Canteen, trying to change the subject from what they witnessed. “Can you sneak me into the castle? The others can’t know I’m here.”

Canteen nodded his head. “Yeah. Don’t worry, I got your back.”

~.~

Canteen and Cassidy hurried up the stairs and towards the kitchen, noticing Natalie and Chalice there. They hid behind the wall.

“Oh no…they’re going to notice me.”

“So, why don’t you want them to notice you again?” Canteen questioned.

“Because it will get them kill if they see me,” Cassidy replied. “The Devil is looking for me by now.”

“The Devil?”

“That’s King Luci’s real name.”

Canteen gasped. “Oh, that makes so much sense. I think I got something to distract the others. Hold on.”

He rushed into the kitchen without Cassidy being aware of what he was doing.

Canteen seemed out of breath from running, catching their friends’ attention. “Guys! I got a new theory!”

“Oh come on,” Natalie groaned.

“I swear, this will be worth your time,” Canteen responded. “Follow me!”

Canteen led them to the broken window. “So, remember me jumping out of the window yesterday?”

“Like a fool,” Chalice responded with a giggling grin.

“What if I told you I thought of something last night about how gravity works and how we control the gravity of our fall?” Canteen asked the girls.

“That makes no sense,” Natalie responded.

“Well, I landed the hay and that broke my fall and—”

“You’re suggesting us to try it?” Chalice questioned.

Canteen started to sweat nervously. “Uh, yeah.”

Chalice looked at him in suspicion before smiling. “Okay!” Immediately, Chalice jumped off the cliff.

“Are you kidding me? I broke my leg jumping off a cliff,” Natalie grumbled at Canteen.

“Oh, you don’t have to jump off if you—”

“Whoa, there’s plenty of hay down here!” Chalice screamed from the bottom.

Natalie and Canteen exchanged gazes.

Natalie sighed. “Here, hold this.” She gave him a crutch and jumped out of the window.

Canteen looked down to find that Cuphead caught Natalie in his arms instead of her landing on the pile of hay like Chalice said.

“DANG IT, CHALICE!” Natalie barked while blushing madly. “I COULD’VE BROKEN MY OTHER LEG!!!”

“At least you got him catching you when you’re falling,” Chalice responded with a wink.

“I have no idea what’s going on,” Cuphead replied from the bottom.

Canteen watched from above as Cassidy snuck through the kitchen behind him. When he turned around, she smiled at him.

“Thank you. I owe you one,” Cassidy whispered.

“Nah, don’t worry about it,” Canteen insisted while holding onto Natalie’s crutch and jumped out the window with a cheer.

Cassidy turned a corner to find the closet door. She saw Mugman, disguised as Tallulah Piccolo, approaching the closet door in the opposite direction when entering into the kitchen. They both hurried into the closet to realize they’re full of chickens. Once Cassidy shut the door behind them, Mugman snapped his fingers and turned into his normal self.

“Okay, now that we’re here, we need a way to get to the Devil’s bedroom,” Cassidy whispered to Mugman.

Mugman kept his eyes on a chicken, tilting his head at the way it moves and pecks at nothing on the cobblestone ground. “Hi there. Can you fly?”

“Oh, no, chickens can’t fly,” Cassidy responded.

The star cup smiled brightly. “Aww, every bird deserves to fly.” When he scooped the chicken up in his hands, the sparkles were on the chicken’s body. The chicken flapped its wings and took off flying around the room.

She watched with fascination, noticing his child-like grin. She couldn’t help, but smiling at his gentleness when he watched the chicken flying around the room. More chickens approached Mugman.

“You guys want to fly too?”

“Uh, Mugman, I’m not sure if that’s a good idea—”

She watched as he sprinkled pixie dust from his hands on all the chickens that approached, watching them take off with their wings flapping around the room. He gasped in fascination, smiling.

She tilted her head. “How are you doing that?”

“What?”

“Do what you do…I noticed people were happier after you walked by them. How do you know what their wish was?”

“Well, people have many wishes. It’s connected to who they are and their souls are what drives them to pursue their wishes. Without their souls, how will they ever obtain the drive to pursue their dreams?”

“Yeah, I guess. I wish that I found out about the Devil taking wishes sooner. I wonder if the generations before knew about this.”

“I highly doubt it. They’re probably dead if they knew. You know, you should consider yourself lucky that the Devil spared you.”

“Why did he?”

“I don’t know…killing you would lead to some suspicions towards him and his acts. Or maybe you got too many people around you already.”

“Not really…”

Before Mugman could retort at her statement, they heard the door opening.

“Say, where’s Cassi?” Chalice’s voice could be heard from the other side of the door. “Has anyone seen her? King Luci and King Dice had been looking for her everywhere.”

“Maybe she’s late again,” Cuphead predicted.

“I saw her with Canteen,” Bowlboy’s voice replied.

“Pssh, what? No, I haven’t seen her at all—”

“Liar, you were with her. You must be taking her somewhere private,” Bowlboy growled.

“What? What on earth do you mean?”

“I mean that you took her somewhere private…just the two of you,” Bowlboy snarled.

“Whoa, whoa, just because you and Cassi used to be together, that doesn’t mean you gotta get possessive over her,” Cuphead responded, attempting to diffuse the situation. “Besides, you guys just broke up three months ago.”

“I’m not being possessive over her!” Bowlboy argued. “I’m just saying. She moved on quick.”

“It’s not like that at all. I don’t even see Cassi like that—”

“SHE’S WITH YOU!!!” Bowlboy pointed out.

“Whoa, calm down,” Cuphead soothed.

“Hughes, you sure you haven’t seen Cassidy?” Natalie questioned.

Cassidy clenched her teeth.

“Nope, haven’t seen her,” Canteen lied.

“Then why are you sweating?” Chalice interrogated.

“What?”

“You sweat when you lie,” Chalice added.

“I don’t sweat when I lie. I sweat when I’m nervous—”

“Of lying,” Bowlboy ended with sass.

“Shh, wait, did you hear that flapping sound?” Cuphead interrupted.

“Oh no. We have to—”

It was too late when Cuphead opened the door and the chickens flew out of the coop and out of the door, blinding Cassidy’s friends temporary until the chickens flew out of the broken window.

Canteen looked into the coop for a second to see Cassidy and Mugman with a small wheeze and shut the door quickly. He stood against the door before the friends glanced back at him.

“Why did you shut the door so quickly?” Chalice questioned.

“Uh, no idea,” Canteen said, starting to sweat.

“You’re sweating again,” Chalice responded.

“W-Well, since we don’t have chickens anymore, what’s the use of this room anyway?”

Cuphead gave Canteen a deadpan stare and moved him out of the way. “Get out of the way.”

“Wait, don’t open the door!” Canteen shouted.

Cuphead opened the door to find nothing in front of them. He stepped further into the coop and looked around before glancing up at the corner of the ceiling by the door and noticed Mugman keeping himself up on the corner of the ceiling, his cape draped down.

“Hey,” Cuphead greeted in the most nonchalant tone.

“Hey,” Mugman responded. “Uh, how are you?”

“Besides seein’ chickens flying and a strange guy hiding at the corner of the chicken coop, I gotta say pretty good,” Cuphead answered. “How about you?”

“Well, I say good. It’s a nice day out,” Mugman replied.

“Sure is,” Cuphead agreed.

Chalice, Natalie, Canteen, and Bowlboy came into the coop.

“What the—?” Natalie gasped.

Chalice let out a giggle. “Whatcha doin’ hiding like that?”

“Uh, nothing. Just gettin’ my daily exercise,” Mugman responded.

“Uh-huh. And how’s that workin’ for ya?” Chalice questioned.

Mugman noticed his legs wobbling. “Uh…well, my legs hurt now.”

Chalice turned to Canteen. “Is this who you’ve been hiding this whole time?”

Canteen faked a smile. “Oh yeah, definitely.”

Bowlboy glared at Canteen. “But I saw you with Cassidy.”

“I don’t know what you’ve seen, man. You must have been seeing things,” Canteen responded.

“Are you gaslighting me?” Bowlboy growled.

“What? No, no, no, not at all—”

“Really, because it sounds like you are—”

“Guys, chill,” Cuphead replied. “Take a pill and chill.”

“Yeah, calm down,” Chalice added while shifting her gaze up at Mugman. “Why don’t you get down from there and we can meet face-to-face—?”

Mugman lost his grip and fell forward with Cassidy clutching at his back. They tumbled onto the ground together, causing the group to gasp in shock.

“By golly!” Chalice exclaimed.

Cassidy and Mugman were covered by Mugman’s cape when they crashed on the ground. Cuphead and Canteen hurried towards them and uncovered his cape to find Mugman on top of Cassidy.

Both Cassidy and Mugman blushed at the position they were in and they looked up to find her friends staring at her with confusion.

“It’s not what it looks like,” Cassidy replied.

Natalie smirked. “Uh-huh, I can see it now.”

Cuphead helped Cassidy up from the ground. “What are ya doin’ with that strange guy?”

“Yeah, what are you doin’ with that strange guy?” Bowlboy interrogated.

Cassidy clenched her teeth. “Guys, look, I can’t say a lot, but…”

“But what?” Natalie asked in concern.

The red-furred feline kept her lips sealed until she sighed. “If I tell you guys this, it will cost you your lives.”

Cuphead leaned in. “Now, I’m interested.”

Natalie nodded in agreement. “Yeah, tell us—”

Cassidy shook her head. “But you’re going to be killed if I tell you this—”

“Does it look like we care?” Chalice questioned. “Just tell us.”

Canteen kept his mouth shut, letting Cassidy do the talking.

Mugman glanced at her, waiting for her to say something.

Cassidy was about to say something and took a deep breath. “Shut the door.”

Cuphead shut the door without hesitation.

She took a deep breath and began, “Yesterday, I was assigned to clean the king’s study.”

“Wow, that’s rare,” Chalice responded.

“No one ever goes in there. How come you’re different?” Bowlboy questioned.

“Is it cool?” Canteen asked.

“Yeah, it is,” Cassidy continued. “So, he told me to never open the black door in his study. Only to clean it. A-And I did. I cleaned it until it opened by itself. I heard someone scream and ran through the door…and-and I was at someplace strange…”

“How strange?” Cuphead asked.

“Very strange. I think Mugman says it’s…Hell. So, I saw a vault. I opened it and…then I saw souls of those that gave their wishes away to King Luci for years.”

The kids gasped in shock, except for Bowlboy, who stared at her with disbelief.

“It’s no wonder everyone looks so tired all the time,” Natalie blurted out.

“Huh, I had my suspicions,” Cuphead added.

“Then…King Luci caught me and…I saw his true form. He’s known as the Devil. I saw him taking wishes along with people’s souls. I-I couldn’t say anything to my family about it. S-So, I wished upon a star for the souls to be restored to the people he deceived and there he is,” Cassidy said, referring to Mugman.

Mugman gave her friends a friendly wave.

Bowlboy glared at Mugman more, his arms crossed.

“So, we’re trying to free the souls from Hell,” Cassidy said with tears in her face. “And now…you guys know.”

Chalice softened her gaze when she noticed Cassidy tearing up. “You okay, girlie?”

“You have to promise me that you won’t tell anyone about this,” Cassidy replied.

“We promise,” Natalie said with a soft smile.

“Yeah, your secret is safe with us,” Canteen added.

“Are you lying?” Bowlboy asked Cassidy while glaring at Mugman still.

Cuphead gave Bowlboy a withering glare. “What? Do you seriously think Cassidy would lie about something serious like that?”

“She lied about loving me once,” Bowlboy responded.

Cassidy felt her heart sank at the statement.

“You know what. I’m done with this. It’s been three months since we broke up and she moved on with this wishing star guy already,” Bowlboy blurted out.

“It’s not like that…” Cassidy told him.

“Really? Because it’s getting hard to believe you,” Bowlboy responded before striding out of the coop, leaving the door open.

“Bowlboy, don’t be like that,” Natalie called out.

Cassidy frowned and sighed.

“Don’t let what Bowlboy said get to ya, girlie,” Chalice said softly.

“No…he’s right. I thought I did for a while. I didn’t mean to make him feel lied to,” Cassidy replied in a sad tone.

Mugman noticed with a frown and patted her shoulder. “We need to get back to rescuing souls.”

“Well, King Luci is up in his room. He’d been cooped up there for a while,” Natalie responded.

“And King Dice had been hunting you,” Cuphead added. “Do you think he knows about this?”

“I believe so. He wouldn’t send his card to spy on me,” Cassidy answered. “We can’t get in the room if he’s up there.”

Chalice pondered for a moment. “I think I have an idea on how to get him out of his room.”

To Be Continued...

#cuphead #mugman #ocs x canons #ms chalice #canteen hughes #king dice #porkrind #cuphead jerry #the devil cuphead #wish(a cuphead au)#wish (2023)#disney wish

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