Cuphead and Mugman in "Fate Will Find You"

The Final Nightmare....?

After getting his crack sealed with Kettle's healing cream, the boys settled in for bed. They changed into their pajamas and brushed their teeth as usual. Cup and Mug then snuggled deep into their blankets as the light in their room was turned off.

Here comes another dose of stress and pain, Mugman thought. If only it could respect the fact that I don't want to fight it. Things would be so much better if it just left my dreams alone.

Mug lay in his bed thinking about possible ways of avoiding his black and sludgy alter ego from talking down to him. He realized that the nightmares never continued after he had been woken up by Cuphead.

That's it! All I have to do is call for Cuphead as soon as I see that thing!

That thought cycled through the child's mug as he slowly dozed off.

Mugman felt the cold atmosphere of the catacombs before he even opened up his eyes within the dream realm. Before his eyes could fully flutter open, he felt his body being forced backwards. It instantly dropped to the ground. The cold, hard shock of the concrete-like ground on his back shot the child's eyes wide open. A black, sludgy grin greeted him. Jet black eyes narrowed as they stared him down. Its stare was oppressive, making Mugman feel very small in comparison to it. Despite the fact that it was so close to him, there was no breath coming from its nose or mouth. Almost as if it were a reanimated corpse with no smell or bodily functions whatsoever. A sludgy arm laid across his neck, forcing his mug to be pressed tightly against the ground. It almost felt like his handle was going to break from the immense force being exerted on it.

"If you attempt to scream for no reason, I'll have your head! And then I'll use it as my personal drinking glass. Got that?" The black creature hissed in the cup child's face as it clenched its fist. He heard its sludgy knuckles crack in its anticipation to do so. Mugman attempted to nod as best he could. For the poor child could not utter a word with the appendage squeezing against his throat. Mug feared that his alter ego would take advantage of him while he was down and unable to move. To his surprise, the sludgy figure stood up and backed off. Mugman's glass body shook in fear for a couple seconds before he forced himself to stand up and face the monster.

"So what now, kid?" It asked as the mug stared it straight in the eyes. As quick as lightning, Mugman started to pelt the creature with his small blue magic shots. As if in no hurry, the mutated mug casually crossed its arms in front of his chest in a protective stance. The small projectiles rippled the black mug's sludgy body. It did not react as if it were in pain. The shadow mainly just looked annoyed.

"Another attempt at hurting me?" It scoffed. "Very well. Try your best." The young mug frantically tried to hurt the oppressive presence that did nothing to stop him from attacking. When he realized that his current method wasn't making any progress, Mug unleashed a much bigger shot of blue magic with both fists. The powered-up move exploded on the shadow. Pieces of sludge flew in all directions. Mug quickly blocked his chest and head with his arms to prevent the substance from landing on vulnerable spots. Upon lowering his arms, the shadow was now gone. Sludge littered the catacombs. Spots rested in front of his feet and even dripped from the ceiling.

"I-is he gone?" Mugman wondered aloud. His mug whipped back and forth as he looked for any trace of his adversary. The child began to give a sigh of relief. This moment of serenity almost instantly ceased when stray patches of sludge reached out and grabbed ahold of the cup child's limbs. The gooey substance wrapped around his feet, preventing him from running away. More pieces of the sludge whipped upward and wrapped around his wrists. It violently pulled downward. Mug tried with all his might to fight against the foreign substance. But no matter how hard he tugged, the sludge just tightened its grip. Mugman could barely lift his arms. The remaining splatters all congregated into one big blot in front of him. It slowly formed the mutated version of himself that he feared. And the creature looked just as intimidating as the first time he saw him. The black mug made an effort to ensure that it was considerably taller than the child. It increased the fear factor, or so he thought.