"Ha! You look a lot like your lackey right now!" Cuphead laughed at the fallen enemy. Despite being wedged halfway into the ground, the Devil still managed to spread that wicked smile across his face. It curled upward toward his eye.
"Never thought you would see me again, huh little mug?" It taunted Mugman. Cuphead literally jumped in shock that the deity seemed to know his brother.
"Wait—you've seen this guy before, Mug?" Cup asked his brother, confused at what was going on at that moment. The young mug tried to shy away from his brother. He hoped to somehow avoid the question. The black creature let out a low chuckle.
"I-I saw him the day our parents died." Mugman stammered out quietly, hoping Cuphead didn't hear him.
"But I thought they died in a mining accident...How is this possible?" The young cup persisted. His curiosity was now peaked.
"Ha ha! Little cupface doesn't even know what happened! That's rich!" The Devil laughed in the cup's face.
"What's he talking about Mug? What really happened?" Cuphead probed his brother. By this time, Mugman had turned away from his brother and hid his face in his hands.
"Yes!" The Devil boomed. Mug flinched as his voice vibrated his little cup. His body tensed up as it tried to retreat into itself. The young mug just wanted to curl up and put his hands on his cup to keep from hearing this. "Tell him exactly what happened! Tell him who is responsible for your parents' death!" The black creature hissed at the child. Cuphead gently put a hand on Mugman's shoulder. The cup's eyes softened.
"It's okay, Mugs. You can tell me anything..." He tried to reassure his brother. Mugman then whipped back around with tears streaming down his face.
"It's-it's my fault! It's all my fault!" Mugman shouted loudly in his brother's face. His gloved hands then returned to his face as he sobbed loudly. The little mug thought he was going to have a heart attack from the guilt he felt.
"Now, now, Mugs, it can't be your fault." Cuphead reached out a hand to comfort Mugman. The young mug, however, swatted it away. He could barely talk between his loud and violent sobs that heaved his whole body. All of the sorrow he had felt that day had been pent up inside his body. Never sharing his grief with anyone. Not Cuphead, and not Elder Kettle. He knew that Elder Kettle always said they had died in a mining accident to protect the boys from any emotional hurt. The Elder did not know how deep the sorrow and guilt cut into Mugman's soul from that day. Little Mug was young when it happened, but the emotions were still there. And all of that sorrow Mugman felt that day was about to come pouring out.
"But it is!" Mug cried. "I'm the one who wandered away from home! And I'm the one that was by the cliff! If I had just stayed at home....*sniff*.... they never would've... *gulp* ....fallen down!" The overwhelming grief brought Mugman to his knees. Hands rapidly wiped across his mug as the tears soaked it. Cuphead came down to his brother's level with a sympathetic heart and eyes.
"It's still not your fault, Mugs." He slowly wrapped his arms around his brother. The young cup realized how horrible Mugman felt about what had happened to their parents.
"Ugh!" The Devil interrupted the tender moment the brothers were having. "It's so pathetic the way you tell the story! That event must have been so traumatic for you that your mind blocked most of the memory." Mug slowly looked up, still sobbing.
"Wh-what?" He inquired. The Devil was more than happy to elaborate, barely able to contain his large ego. Pride filled his dark heart.
"You're not even close to the truth!" The demon hissed. "I was the one who lured you away from the safety of your home! And Iwas the one who held you captive from your parents. You should have seen them!" It laughed maniacally. The boys started to stand up as they heard his side of the story. "They were so desperate to save their poor little Mugman from the Devil! I let them believe they had defeated me... And then I caused the cliff to collapse! I snatched you from their grip before you too fell down. It was just you and I that witnessed them shatter as they hit the bottom of the ravine! I left your little crybaby self to mourn over your parents. It was soon after when the old kettle found you and saw why you were crying. He had been looking after little cupface, who was taking a nap like a good little boy! Not the cup that wandered around endangering the people he loved!" The creature hissed in absolute joy as he watched the boys' facial expressions turn sour. Anger burned deep within the cup brothers' hearts.