(Start where the last episode left off.)
Mugman-Missing?
(CHINA nods.)
China-I turned away for a second, and the next thing I knew, he was gone! I should have never taken my eyes off of him!
Chalice-Well, that's a pickle.
China-It's more than a pickle. Who knows what could be happening to him right now?
(MUGMAN gasps.)
Mugman-That's it!
China/Chalice-What is it?
Mugman-What if we ask Chef Saltbaker? He might be able to give us some clues as to where he's gone!
Chalice-And we can drop off the ingredients while we're at it!
China-It's worth a shot.
(Cut to SALTBAKER's bakery. MUGMAN and CHALICE enter. CHALICE is crouching and doing the spooky fingers.)
Chalice-We have come for your Wondertart!
Saltbaker-(offscreen) GET OUT OF MY BAKERY!
(CHALICE stops playing around. They both flinch.)
Chalice-What was that?
Mugman-And what's that?
(He points ahead of them. One of the cases is pushed backwards, and a trap door is open on the floor.)
Chalice-You know what we gotta do now, right?
(They look at each other and nod.)
Chalice/Mugman-Go further in.
(They step through the trap door and down a spiral staircase. They find themselves in some kind of catacomb.)
Mugman-What is this place?
Chalice-I don't know. I've known Saltbaker for years, and I've never been down here. I mean, it's not that surprising coming from a Calix, but Saltbaker doesn't strike me as the "creepy catacomb" type, either. Let's keep going.
(They run down the catacomb, passing torches and stacks of skulls. They reach the end, where they find the silhouette of SALTBAKER laughing maniacally against a wall.)
Mugman-That's...not right.
Chalice-What's going on?
(They go up a couple stairs to find SALTBAKER behind a wooden counter holding a knife.)
Saltbaker-Welcome back, you meddlesome brats!
Chalice-Meddlesome? You take that back!
Saltbaker-I didn't think you'd be back so soon.
(He stabs the counter.)
Saltbaker-No matter. It's too late to stop me now. The Wondertart will be my finest work yet! A shame I haven't told you about the most important secret ingredient...
(He lifts his arm, revealing CUPHEAD's ghost in a glass container.)
Saltbaker-A living soul! While you suckers were out doing my bidding, I nabbed your little friend here. When his soul is baked into the Wondertart, the cosmic powers of the astral plane will be mine!
Cuphead-Mugman! Alice! You gotta help me!
Chalice-(to MUGMAN) I think I know what to tell your mom now.
Saltbaker-But first, I'll take those ingredients.
(He takes the Gnome Berries out of CHALICE's hands. Then he snaps his fingers. The Distillery Dough, Desert Limes, Pineapple Mint, and Icy Sugar Cubes come flying out of their pockets.)
Saltbaker-And then I'll use your heads as serving dishes!
(He claps his hands. MUGMAN and CHALICE shrink so that they can stand on the counter. They look up at SALTBAKER looming over them.)
Chalice-This is bad...
Mugman-You think?
(SALTBAKER dumps some sugar cubes onto the counter and dusts them aside. They bounce on one by one.)
Chalice-Okay, Saltbaker definitely has it out for us.
(She jumps over a sugar cube and begins shooting at SALTBAKER using Converge. MUGMAN nods and begins shooting using Charge. SALTBAKER drops some limes on the counter. They try to run away, but he slices them up.)
Mugman-Look what he's doing to our ingredients!
(The lime slices start flying above them.)
Chalice-I think this is what they call prepping...
(She parries a pink sugar cube.)
Chalice-And we're in the way.
(A happy lil' blob of dough pulls himself onscreen. SALTBAKER gets his rolling pin ready. He flattens the dough and then slams a bunch of cookie cutters into it. Dough animals come leaping out at them.)
Chalice-Okay, we're not just in the way. He's actively trying to kill us.
Mugman-I think he already made that clear.
Chalice-I know, I know. I just wanna know...why?
Saltbaker-Why do you think?! I'm tired of being the yes-man to you simpletons!
Chalice-You callin' me a simpleton?
Saltbaker-Not you! The rest of the Calixes!
(He takes out a large sugar cube. He drives a hammer and chisel into it, breaking it into a bunch of smaller cubes. He blows them aside.)
Saltbaker-Sending a child into battle. Who DOES that?
(A basket of strawberries runs in. He squeezes the strawberries out of it. It runs off crying.)
Saltbaker-With the powers of the Wondertart in my hands, I'll finally be able to give them all what's coming to them!
(CHALICE parries a pink sugar cube while MUGMAN frantically dodges the rest.)
Chalice-You mean...you didn't want to recruit me?
Saltbaker-Of course not!
(CHALICE dodge-rolls beneath a strawberry missile. SALTBAKER drops more limes onto the counter and slices them up.)
Saltbaker-But the other Calixes were like "No! No! We need a replacement! What if we all go down like the others? Then the Calix Animi will die out!" But look what happened to you! You died while you were still just a kid!
(MUGMAN fires an Energy Beam at SALTBAKER.)
Saltbaker-Did I say you could do that?
(He slams his hands on the table.)
Saltbaker-You know, I should just get rid of you right now.
(He puts a pink mushroom underneath his cap. His eyes glow pink. He claps MUGMAN and CHALICE between his hands and lifts them up so that they're right next to his face. They've shrunken even further. He snaps his fingers. Four pepper shakers appear in the corners.)
Saltbaker-Time to show the Calixes that I was right all along!
(MUGMAN fires at one of the shakers. It rams itself into SALTBAKER's face.)
Saltbaker-Ow!
Mugman-Sorry. It's just that you want to get rid of Elder Kettle.
(Another shaker sneezes a pink peppercorn at them. CHALICE parries it.)
Saltbaker-No no no. Elder Kettle was the only other member who voted nay. He lives. However, if your uncle were still alive, he won't be for long.
(MUGMAN gasps.)
Saltbaker-That's right! Your uncle's decision led your dear friend to her demise, and since I can't get rid of him, I'll have to go for the next best thing: his little nephews!
(He takes some mint, crushes it in his other hand, and drops it over the cups.)
Chalice-I'm afraid I can't let you do that.
(She shoots another pepper shaker. It rams into SALTBAKER's face.)
Chalice-Besides, if you care about me so much, why kill me?
Saltbaker-This isn't just about you!
(He drops more mint on top of them.)
Saltbaker-The Calixes I know act like noble warriors but have made far more mistakes that cost far more lives than they'd like to admit.
(MUGMAN sends another pepper shaker flying at SALTBAKER.)
Saltbaker-This way, I can replace them with people who know what the name Calix Animi means, so get out of my way!
Chalice-No, Saltbaker.
(She magically dons her toga and summons her spear.)
Saltbaker-Huh?
Chalice-This is what happens when you betray the Calix Animi.
(An astral portal opens behind her. Several dish ghosts fly through and attack SALTBAKER. His body begins to crack, and parts of the bakery fall around them. SALTBAKER screams as the screen is covered in a flash of white. When it goes away, MUGMAN and CHALICE have landed in a pile of salt.)
Mugman-What WAS that?!
Chalice-What can I say? I have a few friends on the other side.
Cuphead-(from his container nearby) Who cares? WE ARE IN A SALT HELL!
(Two salt hands rise from the ground. They clap together, summoning two dancing SALTBAKER clones. They land beside the cups.)
Chalice-Uh oh.
Mugman-Don't worry. I've got this.
(He fires an Energy Beam before they have a chance to bounce away. MUGMAN and CHALICE keep shooting, CHALICE with Chaser and MUGMAN with Roundabout, as they keep bouncing around. Then they sink into the ground.)
Chalice-Yeah! They're gone!
Mugman-I like to think I did that.
(Two holes appear in the ground on either side of them, and salt columns fall into them. They run closer to each other to avoid them, but soon the ground there collapses, too.)
Mugman-Well, Alice, it was nice knowing you.
(Glass platforms descend around them. CHALICE jumps onto one of them.)
Mugman-Oh.
(He follows her. They jump between platforms as they come down. A pink heart-shaped salt shaker with SALTBAKER's face flies in.)
Chalice-Oh boy! Free parries! You build up for a big attack while I shoot it.
Mugman-Got it!
(He parries the heart. It turns clear.)
Mugman-So much for free parries.
(CHALICE keeps shooting it.)
Chalice-It's gotta turn pink again sometime.
(It turns pink again, but it's far above them. MUGMAN jumps up with newfound determination and parries it again. It turns clear.)
Mugman-I see. This is an endurance run. Luckily for you, endurance is my middle name.
Cuphead-You don't have a middle name!
(The heart turns pink again. MUGMAN parries it.)
Mugman-I will defeat you if my name isn't MUGMAN ENDURANCE LUX!
(He fires an Energy Beam at the heart. The heart stretches about, and the salt columns break apart in a flash of white. Fade to the bakery basement. There's fallen debris everywhere and an unconscious SALTBAKER in the back. CUPHEAD is still in his container. MUGMAN and CHALICE run towards him.)
Mugman-Cuphead!
(The container breaks, setting CUPHEAD free.)
Chalice-Thank goodness you're okay!
(They switch back. MUGMAN immediately traps CUPHEAD in a big hug.)
Cuphead-Whoa!
Mugman-You're back! Mom's been worried sick about you!
Chalice-That dastardly Saltbaker! He had us hoodwinked the whole time!
(The bakery begins shaking enough to wake SALTBAKER up.)
Chalice-Gadzooks! This place is coming down! We gotta get out of here!
(Cut to outside the bakery. CUPHEAD and MUGMAN run out, followed by CHALICE.)
Mugman-Eeeeeeeeeek!
(CHINA is waiting for them.)
China-Cuphead! Mugman!
(She kneels down with her arms outstretched. She catches one twin in each arm. SALTBAKER runs out next.)
Saltbaker-Aaaaaaaaah!
(The entire bakery crumbles down.)
Saltbaker-No! My bakery!
Cuphead-Serves him right for duping us!
(CHINA nudges him.)
Cuphead-He was going to bake my soul into the Wondertart!
(CHINA gasps.)
Chalice-That still leaves the question: what about me?
Saltbaker-What?
Chalice-You never wanted me to be recruited so young. You said yourself that you wanted to fix what you couldn't prevent. Was that all a lie?
Saltbaker-No, no. I had an idea.
Chalice-Oh, yeah? What was it?
Saltbaker-A second Wondertart.
China-And sacrifice both my sons? No thank you.
Cuphead-But with the bakery destroyed, you're never going to get that Wondertart, Alice!
Chalice-That's okay. If some poor soul has to be sacrificed for me to live again, it just ain't worth it, but mark my words, boys! I'm never gonna stop searching, and in the meantime, if you ever find yourselves in a scrape, I'm just one cookie bite away. Besides, who needs a Wondertart when they can have two new best pals?
China-And a mother who cares for them, no less.
Mugman-Oh, yeah! Now that we've found you, what's gonna happen?
Cuphead-She can live with us!
China-Huh?
Cuphead-Think about it. Uncle's dead, Mugman and I are living with Elder Kettle on the First Isle, your home here on DLC Island hasn't been touched in years. Who knows what's happened to it? There's no reason you can't stay with us!
Mugman-Yeah! Elder Kettle's gonna be overjoyed when he sees you!
(CHINA sighs.)
China-You're right. I've got nothing left on this island, and I've been away from you two for too long.
(She picks both boys up.)
China-C'mon, boys! We're homeward bound!
(She runs towards the pier.)
China-You can come, too, Alice.
(CHALICE nods and follows them. Cut to the BOATMAN's boat. The BOATMAN is ferrying CHINA, CUPHEAD, and MUGMAN across the water while CHALICE floats close behind.)
Boatman-So how was your trip?
Mugman-It was awesome!
Cuphead-We fought these cool bosses, defeated an evil chef, and found our mom!
Boatman-Your mom?
(He looks back at them.)
Boatman-I don't see it.
China-It's alright. Cuphead looks more like his dad, anyway.
(They all laugh as the screen fades to black. Use the same credit sequence as the DLC.)
The end?