Chapters of Book Eight

## Warnings and Triggers

* Graphic Depiction of Illness
* Graphic Depiction of Violence
* Reference to Racism
* Major Character Death
* Near Death Experiences
* Blood
* Burns
* Trauma/Flashbacks
* Depictions of Mourning/Grieving
* Eating Issues
* Kidnapping/Trafficking
* Discussion of War, Imprisonment and Death/Dismemberment
* Human Experimentation
* Murder

## Chapter Summaries

### Chapter 136 - Sammy Gets a Call

It's the day after New Years and life at Dr. Oddswell's house is finally getting back to normal. That is until Sammy gets a call during breakfast. He and Finley take the call and when they come back they look worried and ask to borrow some money. With a bit of prodding, they explain that the call came from Sammy's cousin Danny who had gone to Canada to try to become a star but had gotten into some trouble and now needed help getting back home. Concerned and wanting the help, the B-Bros offer to come with the two to Canada as well. Boris even convinces Cuphead and Mugman to go with them before suggesting they stop by the circus to get some advice on what to say to Danny since they're also in show business. The others agree with the idea and within fifteen minutes all the boys are packed and heading towards the circus. At the circus, the bunny kids get Mickey for them to talk to and it isn't long before Ozzy and the rest of the circus crew wander in to join the conversation too. At the mention of the studio Danny was working with, Mammoth Studio, Oswald gets upset since they had tried to get the circus to sign a bad contract with them years ago. Donald also mentions that animal toons are treated very poorly across the border. Now with a more personal connection to the issue, Mickey suggests that he and Ozzy go with them to Canada to see Danny themselves and possibly help him make connections with the show business people they know. It takes some convincing but Oswald soon agrees to go to Canada with them too. Mickey and Oswald get packed quickly but Mickey says he needs to quickly stop by Daisy's shop before they go. With two new members added to the group, they all make their way to Daisy's flower shop.

Just as the group arrives at the shop Cala and Alice also walk in, causing Bendy to realize that they forgot to tell the people who don't live in the house where they are going. They explain what's happening and Alice runs off to make a quick call. When she comes back she explains she was calling Holly to let her know her boyfriend was planning to leave the country without telling her. Finley begins to panic a little bit since a mad Holly is now on her way to the shop. Holly arrives within moments and begins chewing out Finley. After explaining how spur of the moment the whole trip was Finley and Sammy apologize to Holly. With that taken care of the girls say goodbye to their boyfriends and the rest of the group, telling them to be careful on their trip. Once the goodbyes are completed the boys head to the train station and grab the first train to Canada.

On the train ride the group begins discussing whether the B-Bros would still be open to being adopted by someone, which they say they would as long as it was a good person who would take them both. The conversation then shifts to what they all want to do when they achieve their goals. Ultimately the trip goes smoothly and soon enough they're at the Canadian border checkpoint. It's then that they run into their first problem since the B-Bros don't have passports. With no other ideas on what to do Boris suggests Bendy try using his Surface card from the Angels in place of a passport. At first, it seems that the border guard won't accept it, but then he not only allows Bendy into the country but also lets him bring Boris along with him. Once they're past the border checkpoint Cuphead takes Bendy's card to see exactly what type of Surface card it is. Cuphead is shocked to see Bendy's card is an all-pass, which is a very expensive type of card that allows Bendy to go almost anywhere in the world. They're confused why Black Hat would get him an all-pass but put the issue aside at the time and jump on a bus to begin their two-day ride to Mammoth Studios.

### Chapter 137 - Mammoth Studios

When the bus arrives at Tinsel Town, the town Mammoth Studios is located, Danny meets them at the bus station. He's shocked to see so many famous faces but the group tells him that they should get out of the cold before talking. As they're looking for a place to go they see a "NO ANIMALS" sign in a restaurant window that Danny informs them means animal toons are not allowed inside. The rest of the group is upset that such a thing is legal but nonetheless follow Danny to an old, slightly beaten up diner under an overpass that allows animal toon patrons. When they arrive at the diner all the other animal toons there are upset to see Danny and leave, with one even asking why he's still around. Once they take their seats Danny explains what happened. Danny had been cast in the movie *The Lil Ark Angel* starring the hit child actress, Darla Dimple. However, when he tried to stand out too much in her movie Darla set him up to take the fall for an "accident" on set which led to all the animal toons getting fired which is why they're all mad at him. After hearing what happens Bendy tells Danny that if he's ok with leaving things are now then he really should leave town. Some of the others tell Bendy he's being too harsh but Bendy goes on, saying that he fought against other's negative image of him in order to be a part of society and gain all the things that made life worth living. Mickey agrees with Bendy, telling Danny that plenty of people told him he was crazy for thinking he could be successful but it's only you that decides when you give up. With their encouragement, Danny admits he doesn't want to give up and the group goes straight to work trying to think up a plan to fix things. There are a few obstacles in their way, like the fact that ruining Darla's reputation isn't guaranteed to help the animals' reputation and Darla's giant, zany butler, Max, who will surely try to stop whatever they try to do to her. The animals need a chance to prove themselves. Ozzy asks if Danny knows anyone famous and when he replies he only knows Darla, Oswald points out that they could use that to their advantage since people will do a lot to save face in front of a camera. Danny seems to get an idea from Ozzy's statement, rushing off to grab a friend of his without explaining his plan. With nothing else to do, the rest of the group heads to their hotel room to wait for him to come back. Eventually, Danny shows back up with a penguin kid named Pudge. After giving Pudge some autographs the group settles down to hear out Danny's plan.

That night Danny, Pudge, The B-Bros, and the Cupbros break into the studio offices so they can send out official movie premier invitations to the animal toons that had gotten fired from the Ark Angel movie. While standing guard, Cuphead mentions to Bendy how odd it is that the Angels haven't prevented the production of this movie since it shows a part of history they often don't like to discuss since they aren't painted in the best light. They finish their break in without a problem, and spend the rest of the time until the premiere getting their plan ready. Pudge teaches the B-Bros how to use the lighting and sound boards that are at the premier venue. After that, the B-Bros join the Cupbros and Ozzy in sneaking into the studio so they can seal some costumes and props. Meanwhile, Danny, Sammy, and Finley were making a plan for the performance the animals would put on if Danny could convince them to. Eventually, they get everything they need just as the celebrities and paparazzi start to arrive for the event. Mugman and Bendy are watching the celebrities arrive, though Bendy is unimpressed by the whole thing. Suddenly, Bendy feels the presence of another Demon and turns around to come face to face with an unfamiliar Demon with a cane. The Demon asks Bendy if he's planning to mess with the movie since he invested a lot of money into it as a petty jab at the Angels. Bendy tells him the movie will go off without a hitch and the two make their introductions. The other Demon is Asmodeus, one of the Princes of Hell. Soon after the introductions, Mugman is telling Bendy they have to go as the two rush away from the Prince with only a quick goodbye from Bendy thrown behind them. Mugman is shocked that a Demon so close to the Devil and so dangerous is at the premiere but when they tell the others about Asmodeus, Cuphead isn't too concerned since they aren't messing with the movie. With the seats filling up the B-Bros take a look at the crowd while the others set up. They see Darla sitting in a special box with the head of the studio, L. B. Mammoth, and her giant butler Max. The B-Bros get back to helping set up as the movie starts and Bendy gags and how disgustingly sweet it is.

Unfortunately, Max somehow discovers their plan and appears backstage to stop them. Max chases Danny to the roof, with the B-Bros and Cuphead close behind. When they arrive on the roof they see Danny hiding on a giant balloon of Darla as Max continues to try to grab him. The trio tries to help Danny as much as they can, with Bendy even jumping on the balloon as well, but Max is impossibly strong and the fighting is making the balloon extremely unstable to be on. Danny uses a rope to zip back down to one of the buildings, but Max begins pulling the balloon towards him using that same rope. However, Max doesn't realize one of the building spires could pop the balloon until they're already poking into the balloon. Bendy jumps off the balloon, getting caught by a waiting Boris and Cup, before Danny gives the rope the final tug needed to pop the rope and send Max flying away. Seconds later, Pudge comes running onto the roof to tell them that the movie is over and the audience is leaving. They all rush back into the theatre to start their performance.

### Chapter 138 - Cats Can Dance!

This chapter begins in Toon Town with the girls moments after the boys had left Daisy's store to go on their trip. The girls discuss how they need to rethink their plans for the investigation since they had been planning to ask the Cupbros for help but now they're gone. The girls decide to bring Felix into the investigation and Alice notes Holly's continued distrust of Cazziel. After deciding that Alice will call Felix, the girls discuss how they believe they've located the warehouse the kidnappers are using and will check it out that night. Holly also says that she has noticed someone following Willen, but hasn't gotten a look at them or noticed any magic being used by them. With a plan made, Holly heads back out to continue watching Willen, and the other girls get back to their own work. Alice calls Felix, explaining the whole situation to him, and though he is disappointed they didn't bring this problem to the rest of the group sooner he agrees to come investigate the warehouse with them.

That night while waiting for Holly to return home Cala expresses her worry for Holly and Alice since the two of them have been running themselves ragged with this investigation. Before long, Holly comes home and moments later Felix also arrives at the girls' apartment. With the whole group there they set out for the warehouse. Once they arrive, Alice and Cala show them a side window on the building about ten feet in the air that Alice had previously jimmied open. By standing on a dumpster and then on each other's shoulders they all slip in through the window without issue. The warehouse is large, dusty, and seemingly normal, so the group spreads out to try to find anything useful. Unfortunately, their initial search doesn't turn up much besides a ledger showing that some items consistently come into the warehouse and never leave. After looking at the ledge, Felix uses his magic bag to measure the room and determines the inside is significantly smaller than the outside of the building. Realizing this most likely means there is a secret room the group uses Alice's magic to locate the secret entrance by following air currents. Behind the entrance, they find a large, slightly rusted elevator that can bring them to three different floors. Alice pulls the lever to bring them down to the level below their current one. Once the elevator stops the group follows a hallway to a few rooms that contained the missing boxes of food and clothes they had noted on the register as well as an office. They manage to get into a couple of drawers in the office where they find coded files marked with an unrecognizable rune. The files also have pictures of magical creatures attached to them and Alice makes a choked noise when she sees a picture of her missing friend Polly. It's clear the group they're against are professionals. A loud bang from outside the room startles the group and Felix says they should get out now since, thanks to Holly's talent, they have perfect copies of all the files already. Holly and Alice don't want to leave since there's a chance the kidnapped creatures could be somewhere in the warehouse, but Felix argues that if they get caught there's no one else who knows what's going on so they and the creatures will have no other rescuers coming after them. The girls, acknowledging the sense of Felix's argument and their own exhaustion, agree to leave and make their way out of the warehouse without incident. Felix says he expects the girls to meet with him while they decode the files, and assures Alice they'll save the kidnapped victims before heading home for the night. The girls make their way home, reassuring each other and themselves that everything will be fine.

Back with the boys, they race back into the theatre just in time for Danny to get on stage and stop the audience from leaving. He claims that Darla has set up a special all-animal live performance, which Darla is forced to agree with to save face as Bendy keeps swinging a spotlight towards her. Unfortunately, the other animal toons they had invited seem to be leaving so Sammy and Finley rush onstage to start doing one of their comedy routines while Danny talks to the other animals backstage. Danny reminds them of their love for performing and, with the rest of the toons now on board, they head out to show off what they can do. As Finley and Sammy finish their routine the other animals begin their performance but the B-Bros notice that Darla has snuck away from her seat to the backstage area. Darla begins trying to sabotage the performance but between the B-Bros, Cupbros, and her own incompetence, every attempt just makes the show more spectacular. Eventually, Bendy sends her through a trapdoor to the basement area of the theatre just as the animal toons are taking their bows. Bendy then has Cup flip a switch which brings Darla, who is tangled in sound equipment, up out of the trapdoor in front of the animals onstage. He then turns on one of the mics she is tangled in just in time to broadcast her yelling at Danny about how she should have drowned all the animal toons when she flooded the stage. The crowd goes silent at the admission of guilt and, before she can try to save face, Pudge sends Darla falling back through the trapdoor as she screams for Max.

### Chapter 139 - The End of the Show

After the show, while L.B. Mammoth is happily getting photographed with the animal performers, Asmodeus comes up to the Cupbros and Bendy to talk. Asmodeus mentions that he's been hearing a lot about Bendy and will talk to him in the future before leaving. The next day, the town is abuzz with news from the premier as the whole group heads to a meeting with Mammoth to get Finley, Sammy, and Danny contracts with the studio. While at the meeting, Mammoth also apologizes to Mickey and Oswald about how they were treated and promises to do better in the future. The boys happily sign their new contracts and the group walks out of the building as Finley excitedly shoots out ideas of what they can do to celebrate. Everyone is so excited it takes a moment to realize that Finley and Sammy have slipped away behind one of the buildings. By the time to B-Bros follow after their friends Finley is already in the midst of a bad Ink Attack. As the attack continues, the others start to gather around, though Mickey drags Ozzy away from the scene, and Danny needs to be told what is happening. Soon they start to realize the attack has been going on too long and Finley tells Sammy he thinks this is it for him. The others protest but Finley just tells Sammy to follow through on their dream for him and has Boris promise to finish the Ink Machine for him. After telling Danny he's proud of him and Sammy that he loves him, Finley disappears into a puddle of ink in the blink of an eye. The group is horrified by what happened to Finley and Bendy quickly rushes behind the corner of another building as a panic attack sets in. Soon, the Cupbros find him but before they can figure out a way to pull Bendy out of the attack a new voice calls out to them. The voice says "it's time for the three of them to take a trip together" and, though the Cupbros seem to try to fight back, they aren't successful. Bendy is still completely paralyzed by the panic attack.

Meanwhile, a shell-shocked Boris has only just realized his brother has disappeared. He follows their footprints to the alleyway where they go wild before disappearing and then finds a letter in the snow claiming that Black Hat has taken all three of them for some business and will return with them in a few days. Boris is frustrated at the poor timing but still covers for the trio with Mickey and Ozzy. Soon, the grief overcomes Boris again as Mickey leads him back to the hotel to wash the ink off of him. As he washes off, Boris thinks about how distant Bendy has been lately, especially with all his new Demon stuff, and how Bendy could be taken away from him just as quickly as Finley during an attack. His thoughts begin to spiral into fears of being abandoned until Mickey eventually comes back to check on him. Mickey helps Boris finish cleaning up his clothes and tells him that, with time, this hurt get's a little bit better. Once they're done Mickey brings Boris back to his room where Ozzy has some takeout waiting for them. He finds out that Sammy is over at Danny's place and the group heads over there once they're done eating and have packed up everyone's things from the hotel. The trio walks into the depressing scene of mourning at Danny's and discusses who's going to handle Finley's affairs. Sammy says he'll go back to their hometown to tell the family what happened and set up the funeral. Danny tells Sammy he'll go with him and the group starts heading out. Before they leave, Sammy pulls Boris aside and once again tells Boris how he has to get the machine running so others don't go through this. The group starts making their way out of town with Sammy and Danny saying their goodbyes to the group as they head off their own way. Boris, Mickey, and Oswald climb onto the bus out of town and Boris spends most of the trip staring out the window. During the night, when Boris can't sleep, Ozzy comforts him and the two talk about Bendy. Oswald tells Boris that if he's upset about Bendy keeping things from him then he should have a conversation with Bendy about being more honest. Boris thanks Ozzy for the advice before the two settle back in for their long ride to the train station.

### Chapter 140 - Back at the Black Market

Felix is having issues with his adoption of the B-Bros since Boris has a criminal record that was never fully cleared up and Bendy is considered "unfit" for adoption since he is a Demon. He also discovers that Bendy's guardianship of Boris is tenuous at best and that it would be easy for someone to legally take Boris away from Bendy if they wanted to. This only reinforces Felix's determination to adopt the boys in order to give them more security, despite his own colourful past also potentially posing an obstacle to the process. Since the usual adoption system doesn't seem to be helpful in regards to Bendy, Felix decides to ask Hat about what kind of system Hell has set up for this kind of thing. He calls the casino but they tell him that they are under new management and that Black Hat is gone. Felix decides to go to the casino to personally talk with the new manager, Taffy. Felix heads into the casino, down into the secret hallways below, and is eventually spotted by one of the employees who brings him to the manager's office. Taffy is a lizard Demon who refuses to tell Felix what happened to Hat beyond the fact that he disappointed their boss and was thus relieved of his position at the casino. Reluctantly, Felix asks Taffy about the laws regarding children and adoption in Hell. Taffy laughs at the question but still answers Felix. Taffy then asks why Felix is interested in the topic and quickly pieces together that it's because of Bendy. As Felix goes to leave ,Taffy says that Hat won't be coming back, so Bendy will need a new master, offering himself up for the role. Felix leaves, already sure that Taffy is even worse than Black Hat. Suddenly, a hand snaps out to pull him into an alcove and he suddenly finds himself face-to-face with an exhausted Holly. Holly says she's there to watch Willen and brushes away Felix's concerns about her safety to question whether he thinks Taffy knows anything about the Angel disappearances. They decide he probably doesn't have anything to do with the disappearances, but Hat's sudden leave is still concerning both to the Angels working at the casino, who will no longer have him protecting them as his property, and for Bendy. Holly also gives Felix copies of the coded files she created and the two say their goodbyes before Felix heads to the university to start trying to crack the codes. He works on them all day but has no luck decoding them, so he heads back to the house to have dinner and talk to Xedo about whether he has heard anything on the streets.

That night the girls, Felix, and Cazziel head back to the warehouse to continue investigating it. They take the elevator down to the bottom floor where they find a ramp and a large tunnel with tire tracks on the ground. They begin the hours-long walk through the tunnel as Felix tells the group that he told Xedo what was going on, so they have someone on the outside that knows what they're doing. Eventually, they arrive at a giant stadium-sized room filled with cages covered in tarps. There aren't many guards so they begin to look around but they quickly realize the Angels aren't here since this is only a temporary storehouse. Cazziel suddenly suggests that there may be a ledger around showing where the creatures were shipped to and to whom since the people running this operation would need to keep track of that kind of thing. The group looks around and eventually spots a single door next to a cave, which is likely the exit. Unfortunately, there is a guard blocking the door but Cala scares some of the animals so the guard will leave his post to go calm them down. With the guard distracted, the group begins quickly looking through the office. Cazziel finds the ledger in a drawer just as the animals are starting to calm down, but when they all go to leave the office he and Alice are stopped by a magical barrier at the doorway. They realize it's a trap for Angels since everything else can get through without issue but they can't find the magic powering it or get rid of the barrier. Eventually, Cala brings up that they may be able to use their magic to force their way through the barrier as long as their magic is more powerful than the barrier's, but she warns this will hurt a lot. With no choice, Alice magically forces her way through, severely burning her hands in the process. As a Fallen Angel, Cazziel doesn't have enough power to force his way through and the group begins to panic as they hear the guards heading their way. Cazziel tells them to leave him, claiming that he trusts them to be able to find him again later, and saying how happy he was to meet them. With no other options, the group leaves Cazziel behind. Felix apologizes to him as they go and the other girls physically pull Alice away from Cazziel into one of the trucks. The group makes their escape in a hail of bullets as the guards shoot at them all the way out.

### Chapter 141 - Boris Brings Bad News

Boris stands in front of the door of the house, scared to go in and explain what has happened on the trip to the others. With some prodding from Ozzy, Boris heads in with him and Mickey close behind. They are surprised when they find that the only people at the house are Jerry and Dr. Oddswell, who don't know where the others have gone. The trio head to the kitchen where Mickey and Oswald promise to stick around until Boris can explain what happened to the others despite him claiming they don't need to. Boris then get's up to start calling around to bring everyone to the house but his call to the girls' apartment isn't picked up and when he tries Sheba's she says Felix isn't around. Next, he calls the Tiptails and when Xedo hears the others aren't at the house he tells Boris something may have happened to Felix before instructing him not to open the door to strangers. With Xedo now on his way, Boris tells the others that it seems something has happened to Felix which alarms them all. An exhausted Boris then heads upstairs with the circus brothers to unpack, and Jerry, having realized something is seriously wrong, helps them out in an unexpected act of kindness. Soon after they finish unpacking Felix and the girls pull up to the house, still obviously roughed up from their night at the warehouse. Both groups decide to wait until everyone is present before explaining what happened to them, and Boris ends up falling asleep as he waits for the others to arrive at the house.

When Boris wakes up everyone has finally gathered together. Felix begins the discussion by explaining what he and the girls have been dealing with concerning the disappearances. Everyone is shocked that they hadn't heard all the details about this serious situation sooner, but agree to allow the girls to stay in the house for a while since they no longer believe their apartment is safe for Alice. Mickey suggests calling the police but the others point out that if they do that then Angels will come to investigate the town, leading to them potentially discovering and confiscating the parts. At this point, all the secrets in his life become too much for Boris and he explodes on the others, yelling about how he thought he could trust them and that they can't hide things from each other anymore. While being comforted by Alice he blurts out that Bendy and the Cupbros are gone and that Finley is dead, launching the room into chaos. Holly almost faints at the news and has to be taken out of the room while the others mourn Finley's loss. They then question where the boys are and Felix becomes suspicious when he hears it was supposedly Black Hat who took them since he has also disappeared. The idea that his brother may not return sends Boris into a panic as the others begin discussing the details. Felix and Dot quickly check out Hat's office in Hell, reporting back to the others that it's been absolutely trashed. They begin making plans to investigate the boys' disappearance as Felix asserts that they'll find everyone.

As the days pass, the house members practically run themselves ragged in their investigation, especially Felix and Xedo. They contact the female detectives, Mammoth Studio, and Taffy trying to find leads, but nothing has come of it yet. They also call Sammy down in his hometown of Kokomo and discover that Finley's funeral will be that weekend. Holly, Cala, and Granny plan to go, but Boris is worried about leaving Alice behind if he does since she's the one currently being targeted, and they already had an issue with unknown people sneaking around the house. Ultimately, he decides not to go to the funeral. The day the girls head off to the funeral, Jerry also informs them that his wife will be visiting so everyone should be on their best behaviour. After that, Boris goes to Alice and asks if she would like to go for a walk to cheer up since neither of them is in the best of moods lately. At first, she is against the idea but Alice eventually agrees and the two of them head out. They begin talking about the difficulties both of them have been facing lately before the conversation turns once more to why they just can't call the Angels to solve the problem. Alice restates that the Angels would most likely take away the parts and she's not sure they would return them in order to build the machine, even though it could cure the sick. Alice eventually says how she's sorry the two of them have to miss Finley's funeral because of this whole situation while they happen to pass by Daisy's flower store. Boris get's an idea and pulls the two of them inside to buy some bouquets. Alice questions what they're going to do with the flowers and Boris says they're going to the graveyard to pay respects since, even though they aren't at the funeral, they can still at least do that. The two of them enter the graveyard and Boris begins walking to all of the gravestones of people they know who have been lost to Ink Illness. First Snow White, then Sneezy's, The Blue Fairy, a nice large oak tree for Finley, and finally Steven's. At each gravestone, they talk a bit about the person, especially at Finley's tree. After visiting Steven's grave Alice gives Boris a hug before they both head back home. When they get back into the house they're greeted by the sight of Jerry's wife, who says they have a lot to talk about.

### Chapter 142 - Martha the Menace

Boris and Alice walk in to meet Martha, immediately put off by her attitude and the way she practically orders Alice to get them tea. Martha begins talking about how worried she is about her husband, and that she needed to come down to check on her investment. Jerry, who is next to her, is sitting ramrod straight and refusing to look at anyone or engage in the conversation at all. As she continues talking it becomes clear she has no faith in the Ink Machine, or magic at all, and disapproves of the B-Bros. Alice attempts to defend the brothers but Martha brushes it off, insisting they could hire someone better for the job than the B-Bros. She tries to claim that it's nothing against the boys personally, but it's clear she looks down on them because of their background. Red soon brings Dr. Oddswell in to speak with Martha, who starts insisting they speak in private. Dr. Oddswell refuses, stating that Boris and Alice are just as involved in looking for a cure as he is. Martha then tries convincing the doctor to go to professional researchers instead of the Questers, but Oddswell states he wouldn't trust them to protect his research the way the Questers do. Martha finally snaps at this, yelling about how wolves are violent and Demons are evil. Everyone is shocked by her words as she turns on the doctor once more, questioning if he's even tried any other methods to find a cure. Oddswell calmly responds that he attempted 267 different cures, but all were failures. Martha points out it was her money that funded those attempts, going so far as to threaten to pull her funding if the B-Bros are not removed from the Ink Machine quest. After seeming to think about it for a moment Dr. Oddswell tells her she can go since there are many ways to get money, but the B-Bros are irreplaceable. Enraged by the doctor's dismissal, Martha begins to storm out of the house, calling for Jerry to come with her. Jerry, finally breaking his silence, nervously tells her no since the house is still the best place for an Ink Illness victim like him to be. With no choice but to accept the truth of that, Martha marches out of the house, yelling to Dr. Oddswell that this isn't over. Dr. Oddswell seems unfazed by the incident as he heads back into the house to do more work. Alice begins fussing over Boris, and while she's off making him some food, Jerry approaches him. Jerry stutters through what seems to be an excuse about his wife but Boris tells him to just leave him alone, stating "I know what you think of me. Don’t waste your time with a mongrel." Jerry walks away, muttering under his breath that he doesn't think that. Boris, Alice, and the Warners gather together to have some lunch. As they are eating, Felix rushes into the room exclaiming that he finally cracked the code on the papers.

Elsewhere, Bendy has a dream of when he was young. Young enough that he hadn't met Boris yet. He remembers holding someone's hand and jumping in puddles while surrounded by mist, shadowy shapes, and whispers. Suddenly, a large horned shape offers a hand to him and tells him they have to go since they don't have much time. Bendy is confused as a sense of urgency fills the air, the dark shape pulling him along as the other silhouettes look at him. He trips and falls into one of the puddles, losing a grip on the hand, before waking with a gasp. Bendy groans from the pounding pain in his head as Cuphead yells at him to wake up. He turns to see the Cupbros in a cage, hands completely encased in metal, as Cuphead yells about how they've been kidnapped by some kid with dark magic and are currently on a train. Bendy looks around at the storage car they're in. He is also in a cage, separate from the Cupbros, with metal bands around his wrists. The Cupbos continue explaining what they know, telling Bendy that the metal cuffs they're all wearing are magic-nullifying cuffs, and that they don't know what happened to any of the others. Trapped, powerless, confused, and angry the trio has no choice but to sit and wait for something to happen. They talk about what the others are doing and why they may have been kidnapped. Eventually, a large man comes in to give them food and water in bowls like dogs. The man ignores all of their yelling, simply walking out after giving them the bowls. They eat their meals as best they can with their bonds and then go back to waiting until the train comes to a stop. More men come in, putting tarps over their cages, threatening them so they don't make any noise, and moving them through what seems to be a populated area onto a truck. Once the truck begins moving, they check to make sure they're all still together before settling in for the ride. They seem to be driven into a very busy area and they make a plan for where to meet if any of them get free. Soon, the cages are taken off the trucks and the tarps are removed. Bendy is shocked to find he's at a circus as the boy who abducted them welcomes them to Circo Del Piacere.

### Chapter 143 - The Dark Circus

The Cupbros and Bendy's cages are separated as Bendy is taken away with the circus animals. He's taken to a tent that has a large, spotlighted cage in the center of it. Bendy is alarmed when he realizes inside the spotlighted cage is a miniature unicorn. The kid, who refuses to answer any questions about who he is or why he has kidnapped them, tells Bendy to enjoy himself as his cage is connected to the unicorn's. The boy says that the unicorn might help jog Bendy's memory about who he is as Bendy attempts to press himself against the bars of the cage to escape the unicorn. Between an electrified magic baton and the young boy's magic, Bendy is forced into the unicorn's cage. The boy offers to let Bendy out of the cage in exchange for him performing in some shows at the circus, but Bendy refuses. Accepting the answer, the boy starts to leave with a warning not to kill the unicorn since it would upset the owner of the circus. Bendy tries to negotiate with the kid, but he yells that everyone needs to see Bendy for the monstrous murderer he is before laughing at Bendy's confusion and leaving. Bendy doesn't have much time to dwell on the conversation as the unicorn begins to attack him. Bendy goes on the defensive, dodging its lunges as he futilely tries to talk it into a truce.

Meanwhile, The Cupbros have been left in their own tent filled with magical creatures. Cuphead recognizes Circo Del Piacere as Azazel's circus, which he has actually visited in the past, but can't fully remember thanks to the memory/distraction spells that cover the circus. As he looks around the other cages Cuphead notices that the small cages next to them actually has a family of dandehogs in it, which surprises the Cupbros since they didn't know any existed other than Snowball. Cup gets briefly lost in thought about how Toon Town and the house there has become a new home for him when the boy arrives to interrupt his thoughts. The kid calls them accomplices and reveals he knows that they work for The Devil. At first, it seems that the boy is just there to taunt them and leave, but then Mugman offers to make a deal with the kid. After some initial disinterest, the boy returns to negotiate, stating that they do have impressive reputations and that as long as Bendy still dies it should be fine. Cuphead is furious at the mention of Bendy dying, slamming against the bars and yelling that they need him alive to do their job. The boy is scared by the display of rage but quickly recovers, saying he'll keep that in mind. He then offers to let them out of the cage if they perform some sharpshooting shows and even says he may spare Bendy. The boy then leaves, telling them he'll be back in the morning to hear whether or not they accept the deal. Mugs wants to accept the deal but Cuphead points out that these acts are supposed to be scary so they won't just be shooting at targets, but instead it could be the animals or each other. Mugman says it might be ok if they're shooting at each other since they have practice but Cuphead refuses to shoot at Mugman ever again, images of the accident in the alley flashing through his mind. Cuphead says they'll figure something out as he turns back to watching the dandehog cage.

Back with Bendy, both he and the unicorn are exhausted by their hours of endless fighting. The kid comes back into the tent, causing the unicorn to retreat to one of the other corners of the cage. Bendy asks what the kid is doing there and he says that, since it seems there are some that want him alive, he's there to remove his magical suppressant cuffs to give Bendy a fighting chance against the unicorn. It doesn't take long for the boy to grab the keys and some food for them, though the two fight the entire time he's gone. Bendy eats and drinks his fill before the kid unlocks the cuffs, allowing his powers to return. Now reinvigorated with his magic, Bendy asks the boy what happened to the others. The kid tells him he didn't touch any of Bendy's other friends and that the Cupbros have agreed to do some shows. Ignoring Bendy's yelling to let them go, the boy tries to feed the unicorn, who he calls Peewee, but it refuses to eat. The boy simply sighs and leaves the tent. After he's gone Bendy and he unicorn start fighting again, though Bendy renames the unicorn Sparks since Peewee is a mean name. The whole time Bendy continues talking to the unicorn and wonders why it's so aggressive when he hasn't done anything to it besides dodge its attacks. He also questions how long Sparks can actually last without eating or drinking. His thoughts are cut off by another jab from the unicorn as the fight continues.

As for the Cupbros, they are awoken by the boy opening their cage to give them breakfast and unlock their cuffs. As they eat, Cuphead starts talking to the kid and quickly puts together that he has some kind of connection with the Voodoo Queen. The boy reveals he is her son who has been harboring resentment towards them ever since the trial when the B-Bros were let go. The kid, who now goes by Dr. Facilier, has been working at the circus for a few months, using the same shadow magic as his mother, but is convinced that Bendy murdered her and needs to be punished. He then warns the Cupbros not to disobey him in any way or he'll do something terrible to Bendy. Once they finish eating, Dr. Facilier tells them that their cover story is that they're there to earn some extra money before taking them out into the busy circus. Facilier leads them to a large tent where some other performers are practicing. A spider-woman gets into an argument with the kid since it's her practice time right now but some clowns offer to let the Cupbros practice with them in the corner of the tent instead. Cuphead is surprised to see Beppi, one of the Devil's other debtors, there, but Cup signals Beppi to pretend like they don't know each other. Still, it opens the possibility that they may find allies in the circus.

### Chapter 144 - Attachment Attack

Much had happened back in Toon Town since the code had been cracked- Felix and Xedo were researching, Boris told Mickey and Ozzy what was happening, and the girls were set to return from Finley's funeral that day. Boris is restlessly shifting through the papers when Felix comes with hot chocolate and asks Boris to come to talk with him in the living room. Felix tells Boris he's worried about how the stress of the situation is affecting the young pup, especially since Boris has begun losing weight from his lack of eating. Boris explains that this isn't the first time this has happened and that the stress of being separated from Bendy just makes him feel too sick to eat. Felix is upset that they haven't heard about this issue before. He hugs Boris, apologizing that he didn't notice sooner and promising to help Boris with the issue. While he is thankful for the help, Boris gets a bit nervous when Felix brings up the idea of him visiting Dr. Scratchansniff to discuss the issue. Boris eventually agrees to try talking to the doctor. Just as they finish their discussion, Granny returns and announces she and the girls are back from the funeral with news. The others, including Cala and Holly, are confused by Granny's behavior, as she seems to be talking to thin air. She soon clears up the confusion by explaining that she is talking to Angelo, who had just returned home after following Bendy and the Cupbros to the place they were taken. Angelo informs the group that the boys were taken by a child named Facilier and brought to a circus full of dark magic. As Angelo tries to locate where the circus is on the map the others explain their situation with the missing Angels. Angelo recognizes the symbol of the circus on the documents, meaning that the kidnapped Angels are also being sent to the circus. Unfortunately, Angelo is unable to locate where the circus is on a map.

A couple of hours later, everyone is gathered in the living room, including the Tiptail brothers, the detectives, and the circus crew. The girls briefly tell everyone how the funeral went and how Sammy is doing before they all get down to business. Those who were there when the girls first came home tell the others about the new connection with Circo Del Piacere, a name that the circus crew recognizes. The circus crew explains the strange reputation around the so-called "Dark Circus" including their use of dark magic and their seemingly random travel patterns that no one can pin down. After The Dark Circus leaves whatever place they’ve been in, the surrounding area always has a number of disappearances. Nothing has ever been tied back to them and the victim's families always seem to have memory issues surrounding their loved ones and the circus itself. The magic used by the circus, specifically its memory-altering magic, makes it difficult for the group to hunt them down. The circus crew suggests they try following the black market shipments back to the circus, but the group isn't sure how to do so without being caught. Alice eventually suggests that one of them goes inside the operation and creates a trail for the group to follow. She volunteers to be captured by the traffickers in order to do so. The others are against such a risky idea but soon are forced to admit they don't have a better option available. The group begins planning a way for Alice to get caught that wouldn't look suspicious to the traffickers, and soon the idea of her going back to the warehouse to free the animals there is suggested. Cala volunteers to go to, since she is a magical creature that would be of value to them. Alice isn't happy that someone else will be putting themselves at risk with her, but there isn’t much she can do to stop it. The detectives promise to shut down the black market operation once the girls are sent to the circus. The plan is set, and they begin to make a way to track Alice and Cala. It is decided that Felix, Boris, Holly, Mickey, Donald, and Oswald would be following them. With that, the group splits up to go about their duties and/or normal activities.

Over dinner, Holly and Alice show the other house members what they have made to track Alice: a pair of magic makeup compacts. The compacts are magically connected and allow the users to see and hear everything reflected in the other mirror, allowing communication as well as tracking. The others should be able to follow their connection, as long as the runes have power running through them. With the compacts made, Alice decides that she and Cala will head to the warehouse that night and send out a signal to Holly once they are taken. The others are worried about the girls, but they're both already getting ready to go. Once they're done saying their goodbyes to everyone, Alice and Cala leave for the warehouse. Slowly, the house returns to normal, although Holly sits looking out the window with her compact in hand.

That same night, Felix brings Boris to see Dr. Scratchansniff. A part of Boris wants to resist this, believing there are much more important things to be worried about right now, but he nonetheless heads into the doctor's office. Boris and Scatchansniff begin discussing Boris's eating problems, and Boris explains that it started when they were young and Bendy was sent to a different orphanage than him for a short time. The doctor points out that Boris can't keep starving himself, or else he might not be strong enough to go on the rescue mission. Boris becomes very upset at the idea that Scratchansniff might prevent him from going on the mission. He promises to force himself to eat, but the doctor goes on to explain that would only be a start to solving the problem. Dr. Scrachansniff says that it sounds like Boris may have some attachment issues with Bendy, which makes Boris incredibly distressed and angry. The doctor tries to talk him down, but it only serves to worsen the situation. Boris shouts that he can’t keep them apart and runs out of the office, convinced that Scratchansniff is just another adult trying to separate him from his brother. As he runs, Boris tells himself that he and Bendy don't need anyone but each other, and that everything will be better once he finds his brother again.

### Chapter 145 - Believing or Bolting

Alice and Cala head back to the warehouse, slipping easily inside through the same window they used before. However, the moment they reach the elevator they set off an alarm, leading them to quickly be surrounded by a frankly ridiculous amount of masked men with guns and shock sticks, A middle-aged woman in a rich dress appears and she orders the men to grab both of the girls.

Boris rushes around his room in a frenzy, pack his and Bendy's things, and tosses them out the window so they will be waiting for him outside. After his talk with Scratchansniff, Boris has become convinced that he can't trust anyone in the house and that they were attempting to separate him from his brother for "his own good" as so many others had tried to before. Despite knowing that Bendy would not approve, Boris continues his escape plan by stealing something from Red's vanity before heading downstairs. He enters the kitchen where Granny and Holly are, playing it cool and asking if they need any help. Boris starts cleaning up the kitchen at Granny's request, subtly stealing supplies for his journey and planning how to steal the magic compact from Holly despite the guilt he feels at the idea of stealing from the girl. While waiting for his chance he begins asking Holly about how it works. Believing he is worried about how the rescue mission will go Holly attempts to comfort Boris by pointing out that Felix will be there, but Boris internally doubles down on his belief that the adults couldn't be trusted with this and that it would be far better for him to handle things on his own. The two keep talking, even discussing the idea of the B-Bros helping Holly run a magic shop in the future, before Boris asks if he can hold the compact. Holly gives it to him and, while distracting her with more talking, Boris switches the magic compact for the compact he stole from Red's vanity. Feeling incredibly guilty, but determined to stick to his plan, Boris and Holly finish reassuring each other that everything will be fine before Boris sneaks out of the house and runs from Baker Street with his supplies. Boris is making his way through the city, crafting a vague plan in his mind about what to do, when the compact finally activates. Boris opens the compact and heads into an alley for some privacy. Through the compact, he hears a woman telling Alice that she will be sent to a Demon tomorrow while Cala is set to go up for auction that night. The compact goes dark after the woman leaves and Boris begins to worry he may be in over his head at the mention of a Demon. Still, there's no going back after he's already gone so far and he steels his resolve to save his brother no matter what.

Felix sits in the house's living room glaring at Boris's file and the giant missing pieces of information it does not contain. It's clear that they have been edited to make Boris appear better on paper, and Felix throws them aside with a huff. Felix takes a while to wallow in thought about all the issues surrounding the group at the moment before heading to the kitchen to make himself some tea to relax. When he walks toward the kitchen he hears the sound of Holly yelling before the sound of glass shattering rings through the house. Holly begins racing through the house yelling for Boris as Felix stares at the broken compact in horror. Holly's frantic energy quickly spreads throughout the house as Felix joins her search for Boris, though it quickly becomes clear he's no longer around, and the other house residents come out to see what all the fuss is. Felix eventually manages to get Holly to stand in place long enough to answer questions and the girl explains that the broken mirror on the floor is not the magical compact she made. Seeing as the only other person she let touch the compact was Boris, he must have been the one to take it and run away. Felix then asks Scrachansniff what happened in the session and is horrified to learn the doctor told Boris that it may not be wise for him to go on the rescue mission. With no time to lose, Holly and Felix begin tracking Boris down, Felix with his natural abilities, and Holly with a tracking spell. The two ride through the city, following Boris's trail, as Felix thinks about how deeply this clear show of mistrust hurts. The tracking spell leads them to the train station and they race inside just in time to catch a glimpse of Boris through the window as the train he is on leaves the station. Felix curses the situation as Holly stands in shock watching Boris's train disappear. Holly goes to buy tickets, with money from Felix since she has nothing with her but the tracking spell, and Felix starts making calls to everyone selected for the rescue asking them to come to the train station so they can follow Boris.

Cala sits in a tank of water alongside many other caged magical creatures, awaiting her turn to go up for auction. As the auction continues Cala becomes more agitated at the wait and the sight of some particularly rare magical creatures that have been captured. Finally, second to last of all the creatures, Cala is wheeled out and sent to auction. After some bidding, Cala is eventually sold for one hundred and fifty-five thousand dollars and her tank is wheeled to the storage area. While there, some workers start tapping on her tank to get her attention but she scares them off with a flash of her fangs and a shriek. The men run away and Cala looks at the paper that has been fixed to her tank. The paper shows that she has been sold to the dark circus just like Alice. She sets in to wait out her journey and hopes that she will find Mugman at the end of it.

### Chapter 146 - Carnival Calamity

After a long morning of practicing their sharpshooting act, the Cupbros are brought to the food tent for lunch. When they walk in, Cup recognizes one of Azazel's debtors Gloomy the Clown, a toy duck Demon named Paddywack, and another of the Devil's debtors. As they sit down to eat, the brothers begin talking with the other circus performers under the watchful eye of Dr. Facilier. They give the others the cover story about being there to earn some money, but Cup knows that anyone who knows their work will see through the lie in an instant since money is no issue for The Devil. They continue talking about the circus with others and are soon recognized as part of the Ink Machine Questers. Mugs covers by saying they were following a lead on the Ink Machine but ran out of money before they reached their destination. The others joke that the Cupbros may just like the circus so much they won't want to leave, and Beppi makes a flying, barking dog balloon to show how fun the circus is. Cup knocks the balloon off the table, telling them to knock it off as the conversation moves on. Luckily, between both of their skills, no one noticed Beppi and Cuphead passing messages through the balloon.

Bendy and Sparks face each other, both exhausted and roughed up from their constant battle. Bendy thinks about how at this rate only one of them will leave the cage alive, and he can't even be that mad at the unicorn since it's just as much a victim as he is. He continues to try to talk to Sparks, since he knows unicorns have some level of intelligence, but it continues to rebuff him. Finally, Sparks heads over to its food and water bowls to start eating, allowing Bendy to sit down for a break. The moment he sits down his eyes begin to grow heavy and, in his moment of weakness, Sparks races over and impales Bendy with his horn. Bendy begins coughing up blood but still takes the chance to put his hand on Sparks's head to tell him that he doesn't have to be afraid anymore and that he won't hurt him. A chill goes through his body as the pain continues to grow and Bendy is horrified when he realizes it's the beginning of one of his Ink Attacks. Sparks pulls back and Bendy falls to the ground as his fatal wound and the attack take their toll on him. As he begins to float away, Bendy thinks about how he didn't want to die like this and that he wishes we could have seen Boris one last time. Just as he thinks he's died Bendy feels the pain easing away and a warmth spread from his core outwards. Bendy abruptly snaps back into his body exhausted, aching, and weak, but alive. A sense of peace washes over him as Bendy begins to pass out and he thinks how much better it is to just have it all stop.

Meanwhile, the Cupbros are still working around the circus and the other performers have discovered Mugman's dodge move. They want Cup to shoot at Mugs and have him dodge it in the act, but Cuphead refuses to shoot at his brother. Facilier notes how upset the idea makes Cup and starts pushing him about it too, even going so far as to threaten to kill Bendy if he doesn't. Cuphead in turn threatens to bring the kid down to Hell himself and rip him to pieces if he tries to make him do it. His threats are enough to make Facilier back off and sit in the corner, watching them for the rest of practice. When he finds out what happens Mugman warns Cup not to antagonize Facilier since he could still do something to Bendy as revenge. The Cupbros go through the rest of the day and dinner chatting with the various circus performers, though Mugman handles most of the talking. Things are going well until they run into the Butcher Gang, who have been forced to work in the circus as punishment by Ava. Barley is still clearly mad at them but Charlie says they'll talk to the Cupbros later before dragging his gang away. The rest of the night goes well, and soon enough the Cupbros are waiting in the wings to perform their first show. They watch the other acts before them perform, which consist of a dragon and the trapeze artist, and get their first glimpse of Azazel's right-hand man, the Ringleader. After the trapeze act the Cupbros are introduced, though even the Ringleader seems surprised when he says it, and they begin their performance. The act is going well but instead of ending when it is meant to Facilier comes out with a target for Mugman to wear that Cup will shoot at. Cuphead is immediately against it but Mugs says it's fine, they have to do it to protect Bendy and he trusts Cup. Mugman puts on the target and heads to the other side of the stage to get ready. As he is forced to square up against his brother memories of fun times at the house and his past accidental shooting of his brother flash through Cuphead's head. His heart pounds and he has to grab his own arm to stop it from shaking, blinking away the beginning of tears as he does so. With no choice, Cuphead raises his arm, aims at Mugman, and fires.

### Chapter 147 - A Fox and a Hound

In a half-conscious state, Bendy thinks about how he can't just give up on the quest and die while his friends still need him. He hears a strange voice talking to him before suddenly snapping back into consciousness. Bendy jerks back in surprise when he finds Sparks the unicorn happily curled up beside him and is even further shocked when he learns that Sparks has healed him of all his wounds. He questions why and, after some communication difficulty, Sparks explains it was because Bendy didn't kill him when he had the chance. With a truce finally reached, Bendy is left to process the whole situation for a moment and he thinks about how crazy it was that he had been willing to just give up like that, even for a moment. Thankfully, Sparks pulls him from his pessimistic train of thought and the two begin looking for a way out of the cell. Bendy feels runes around the outside edges of the cage but is unable to alter them since, if he scratches out the wrong one, it could put the two of them in a more dangerous situation than they're already in. While he's trying to think up a plan Bendy is interrupted when Dimitri, one of the cops he met in Heela, stumbles across their cell. Dimitri begins trying to help them get out and, upon learning they need a magic key, runs off to go get someone she believes can help. She soon returns with Ava in tow, surprising both Demons as they recognize each other. Bendy asks Ava to let them out, but she doesn't want to let Sparks out since he'll try to attack her. Bendy tells her to just let him out then and he'll figure something out for Sparks but Ava still refuses to do it for free. When Bendy asks what she wants from him Ava tells Bendy she wants him to take her on a date on the Surface since she's interested in learning about how the Surface works. Bendy agrees and Ava pulls out the key to release him from the cage. He promises Sparks to come back to help him before cleaning up, getting changed, and following the girls out into the circus to reunite with the Cupbros.

The trio begins walking through the circus as Ava begins explaining that her brother created Circo Del Piacere to improve the relationship and opinions the Surface people have of dark creatures in the hopes that one day they will accept them. Ava has been helping him by tracking down and bringing back dark creatures to join the circus, most of whom willingly come when they hear about it. Ava also points out that anyone there can leave whenever they want, unless they signed a contract, which leads to her and Dimitri explaining the concept of soul contracts and debtors to Bendy, even revealing the fact that Dimitri is one of Ava's debtors. Bendy doesn't like the idea of others being treated as less than human, leading to him defending Dimitri and bonding with her over how crazy other Demons are. Their discussion is interrupted by some of Bendy's fans, who ask him to sign a couple of autographs for them. After the happy fans leave Ava asks what the point of signing the autographs was and the other two tell her that sometimes it's worth it to do something for someone just to make them happy. Soon after, they arrive at the tent where the Cupbros performed and make their way backstage.

After asking one of the other performers where the Cupbros are they find the brothers huddled in a corner together, Mugs comforting a tearful Cuphead. Mugman is thrilled to see Bendy safe and sound, but Cup still needs a few moments to recover after being forced to shoot at his brother by Facilier. However, at the sight of some stray ink still clinging to Bendy, Cup's tears are forgotten in the face of worry for his friend. Bendy reassures the Cupbros he's fine, even in the face of Ava mentioning the awful state she found him in, and instead tells the others that he just needs to save his friend before they all leave. The Cupbros are ready to go but before they can go the Ringleader, with Dr. Facilier at his side, approach them. Once it's revealed the boys are only there because Facilier kidnapped them they are offered to stay the night in the circus as honoured guests as an apology before being personally escorted to the nearest train station the next morning. Despite their mistrust of the Ringleader, and the circus as a whole, the boys agree to spend the night at Circo Del Piacere.

### Chapter 148 - Circus Craze

As part of their treatment as "honoured guests" their whole group is given front-row seats to the rest of the circus's show. The group enjoys the show until a mermaid in a tank is brought out. They at first think she is Cala but soon realize it's not and sit back to listen to her siren song. Bendy almost falls for the mermaid's song at first but after the Ringleader tells people to keep their seats and the Cupbros explain how it works he is able to resist the mermaid, who is introduced as Ebi. They continue to watch the rest of the show and, once it's over, are given dinner before being brought to Azazel's personal tent to rest. The moment the Ringleader leaves them in the tent Ava tells Bendy to come with her to Hell to personally talk with her brother about what happened. Bendy is reluctant to go but eventually agrees to go as long as the trip is fast. The others aren't happy about the idea of Bendy going to Hell, especially Dimitri, but Bendy confirms that this is something he wants to do and that he'll be ok, so they reluctantly agree. With the matter settled, Ava opens a portal to Hell and the two jump in.

Cup watches the portal disappear after the Demons pass through it and thinks that Bendy will probably be safe in Hell while they still have to worry about Facilier lurking around. He turns back to the other two and begins talking to Dimitri, since she's still stressed from dealing with all the Demon and magical nonsense that she isn't used to. The Cupbros warn her about not showing too much humanity around Ava since Demons will use anything to manipulate others into doing what they want. Dimitri then explains that she's worried that Bendy is going to have a breakdown since she found him talking to a unicorn, which leads to her filling the Cupbros in on the state she found Bendy in. Cuphead can't believe that a unicorn would ever let a Demon close enough to touch it, and soon the conversation moves on to what Ava and Azazel are planning to do with the circus. The Cupbros tell Dimitri that the less she knows the better before telling her to stay put while they go talk to some people. However, Dimitri follows the brothers out into the circus and, after some unsuccessful attempts to get her to leave, Cup tells Mugs to just let her stay since if she gets hurt it'll be her own fault. The trio, led by Cup, heads to the rollercoasters where Beppi is hanging around. When Beppi sees them he leads them toward a tent where they can have a private conversation. After reassuring Beppi that he doesn't have to worry about Dimitri listening in they ask if Beppi got the message they passed him sent out. Despite his lack of trust in the Cupbros they eventually get the clown to admit that he did send the message for them. With that confirmed, they begin questioning Beppi on what is happening in the circus since, as Cup points out, it's obvious he was sent there as some kind of spy. Cuphead gets so frustrated with Beppi's lack of answers that Mugman has to take over, but Beppi just insists that they have to get King Dice or The Devil to the circus immediately as he believes the situation to be that bad. Eventually, Cup has had enough of Beppi not giving a straight answer, so he sneaks up behind the clown and threatens him into actually explaining some of what's going on. Beppi tells the Cupbros that the Ringleader's "hobby" that has to do with donkeys has started attracting the attention of both the police and the Angels. Between that and all the illegal magic/creatures there it's become enough of a liability for The Devil to shut it down. The Cupbros push for more since there have been rumours about the Ringleader's donkeys forages, so it can't be what's suddenly got him so scared. With some reluctance, Beppi admits that the Ringleader and Azazel are working on something big enough to cause a full-on war to break out. When Cuphead tries to get specifics out of the clown Beppi uses one of his dog balloons to get Cup far enough away from him so he can bolt out of the tent with one last call over his shoulder for them to bring the boss there ASAP. After getting rid of the balloon they discuss what could possibly be big enough to start a war and what they should do. Mugman wants to talk with Paddywhack, but Cup rejects the idea before heading back out into the circus towards their tent.

As they walk through the circus Mugman and Dimtri keep pushing the idea of talking to Paddywhack until Cuphead finally gives in, changing directions to head to where the toys are instead of their tent. Dimitri asks what is up with the Ringleader and donkeys, leading the Cupbros to explain that the Ringleader has placed a curse on the circus that turns naughty children into donkeys. The Ringleader then sells the donkeys off as work animals to whoever needs them. Dimitri is horrified to hear what the Ringleader is doing and immediately wants to put a stop to it, but the Cupbros point out that that's easier said than done now that she's a debtor who has to abide by different rules than a normal cop would. After explaining everything to her, Dimitri says she just has to make sure Ava doesn't get suspicious about what she's doing and she'll be fine. The Cupbros laugh at her cavalier attitude just before they arrive at the game booths. Cup catches sight of a living ragdoll bouncing around one of them, recognizes it as Paddywhack and heads over to ask him to talk. Paddywhack can't talk to them immediately, meaning that they get swarmed by some fans looking to ask questions and autographs while they wait. When they finally get away from the fans they go into another private tent with Paddywhack, who jumps out of the doll to talk to them in his normal Demonic form. After demanding a personal audience with the Devil and a title for his help Paddywhack reveals that the whole dark circus is actually a cover for the fact that Azazel is building a dark army that he intends to use to start a war. The circus allows him to collect a large number of dark beings without appearing suspicious while also giving him the chance to get some of the Surface population on their side for once. It's unclear whether Azazel is planning to use this dark rebellion to also try to overthrow The Devil, but regardless he needs to be shut down quickly. With that bombshell dropped, Paddywhack hops back into the doll to get back to work while the trio head back out into the circus to finally return to their tent.

Just as Cup begins to relax the trio runs into the Butcher Gang. Barley tries to start another fight but he is quickly restrained by Dimitri. Their leader Charley starts to insult the Cupbros for falling low enough to get captured by a child, but Cuphead brushes them off, claiming he's heard it all before and that he could take them and Ava out if he needs to. The Butcher Gang is shocked by their threats as Cup begins to push it further, telling them that they've killed Demons before and that the Butcher Gang isn't worth even getting his boots dirty for. Obviously outmatched, the Butcher Gang retreat after Charley throws one last jab about the Cupbros seeming more demonic than human. The trio continue on their way through the circus, finally making it back to their tent for the night. Once they arrive, Dmitri says she's heading back out to "walk off some steam" despite the Cupbros protests. Mugman considers going after her but Cup tells him to just leave it since Dimitri is an adult who can make her own choices. Cup then settles in for the night, thinking that the sooner The Devil shuts down this circus the better.

### Chapter 149 - Mixed Understanding

Felix sits in a train car with the rest of the members of the rescue mission, looking out the window and wondering once more why Boris ran. Mickey pipes up, asking if Felix can explain more, but his explanation fails to explain the all-important why other than to point out the fact that Boris has been stressed and panicked lately. Felix also blames himself for Boris running away despite Ozzy reassuring him that Boris is just a kid making a mistake, it's not Felix's fault, and that they'll catch up with Boris soon. Soon, the members of the circus crew head off to bed, leaving Felix and Holly alone in the car. Holly has been strangely silent the whole trip and, when she gets up to go to bed, Felix tells her she shouldn't blame Boris entirely. She pauses at the door, asking if he's saying that because of what he read in those files. Felix explains that they're missing things when it comes to the B-Bros, but Holly sees that as an excuse. She's upset at what Boris did because it betrayed the idea of what kind of friend she thought he was. Holly goes on to point out that she lost her big dream to study at Yen Sid University in order to help the B-Bros, and there are plenty of others in the group who have made big sacrifices for their sake. Yet none of that seemed to matter because Boris didn't give any of them a chance before running. She finishes her speech by saying she is done for the day. Felix sadly wishes her goodnight as she leaves the car. Left alone with his thoughts, Felix begins thinking about how he could have done things differently before shaking himself out of the mindset. Still, after this whole disaster, it seems like a silly thought to try to ask to adopt the B-Bros when Boris clearly doesn't trust him. Felix resolves to try to show Boris that he can really trust them before even considering asking to adopt the brothers. Felix then heads to bed before he can think himself into more circles.

Meanwhile, Bendy drops out of the portal into Ava's finely furnished home. As she leads him to the bathroom to clean up he asks where her brother is and she replies that he's probably at the colosseum betting on the death matches showcased there. Bendy is horrified at the idea of watching a fight to the death and refuses to watch despite Ava pushing him to do so. They continue their argument until they arrive at the bathroom where Bendy stays to clean up while she heads out to wait for him in another room. As he showers he thinks about how bad the previous ink attack was and how disturbed he is by the fact that he was ready to just give up at the end there. Bendy's thoughts continue to darken as he contemplates how hard it is to keep going when he keeps getting beaten down by all sides and just seems to be waiting for the next attack to hit. Still, he doesn't want to die, and Bendy forcibly shifts his thoughts to what he will do when he is reunited with his brother and can get back to the quest. Bendy finishes cleaning up, gets dressed, meets up with Ava, and heads out into Hell to find her brother. Bendy continues to insist he won't watch the death matches and Ava finally gives in in exchange for Bendy answering any of the questions she has about the Surface. As the two continue their journey they discuss the difference between the Surface and Hell, specifically in relation to children and physical appearance. During the conversation, Ava shows off her shape-shifting abilities by changing to a more "normal" looking form. The walk also gives Bendy the chance to see more of Hell, though what he sees isn't very pleasant. Noticing his discomfort, Ava explains that many of their issues stem from their overpopulation problem and their poor relationship with the Surface/Angels. With that sobering realization, their conversation dies out until they reach the colosseum. Bendy reluctantly follows Ava inside and up to the private VIP seating. Bendy averts his eyes from the window and asks Ava if her brother is there. When she confirms he is Bendy tells her he'll wait out in the hall for them until the show is finished and leaves the room despite her protests. Bendy leans against the wall outside, wondering how Demons could enjoy something so gruesome, wondering how his friends would react to the situation, and distracting himself from the cheers of the stadium.

Finally, the cheers die down and demons begin exiting the private seating box. Ava and her brother exit and Bendy finally gets to meet Azazel in person. Azazel is thrilled to meet Bendy after all he has heard about him and quickly invites him to lunch so they can discuss Bendy's incident with the circus. Ava reminds her brother that the two of them just ate at the circus but Azazel insists they can still have a drink as he steers Bendy back out into the city. As Azazel guides them back into the richer sections of Hell he commends Bendy on his status as a public hero and his willingness to not shy away from the spotlight. However, he tells Bendy that being public means that they will be able to find evidence against him more easily when they eventually arrest him. As they take their seat in a classy restaurant Bendy asks why they would arrest him and the siblings laugh at him before Azazel assures Bendy that, eventually, he will do something that will get him arrested. Azazel also reminds him that, as a fledgling, he is due to have a rampage at some point in the future. Bendy pushes that issue aside for the time being so they can focus on their current issue with the circus. He tells Azazel what happened with Facilier and Azazel immediately offers to kill the boy for him. Horrified by the idea of the death of a child Bendy denies this course of action, so they begin discussing other punishments to act as a warning to Facilier. Bendy questions why they have to do anything so extreme to the boy, but the siblings insist that they have to do something since the issue is so serious and Facilier needs to learn not to do something like this again. Eventually, they settle on cursing Facilier so he can only use magic on other people and never on himself. Though he's still not comfortable with the idea of cursing the boy, Bendy agrees after being reassured that it won't cause Dr. Facilier any physical pain. Azazel compliments Bendy on his level-headedness about the issue but Bendy says he isn't done yet. He asks Azazel to free Sparks since he owes the unicorn his life. The other two Demons are shocked and confused at his statement but, when Ava confirms Bendy was in the same cage of the unicorn without Sparks trying to kill him, Azazel seems to accept it. He turns back to Bendy, saying how interesting this news is and Bendy can't help but dislike the look Azazel is giving him.

### Chapter 150 - Bombshell Realizations

In Azazel's tent, the Cupbros argue about whether or not they should follow after Dimitri to make sure she doesn't get into any trouble. Despite Cuphead's protests, Mugman heads back out into the circus and Cup has no choice but to chase after his brother. Cup eventually catches up with Mugs just as he enters a show tent where the mermaid from before, Ebi, and the spider-woman trapeze artist, Spindella, are talking. The women aren't eager to speak with them, pointing out how dangerous it is for the Cupbros to go poking around the circus, especially with Dr. Facilier still after them. After their cryptic warning, Mugman asks what's going on and if the women are ok and not being forced to be there. They both brush off Mugman's concern, claiming that the circus is the best place for dark creatures like them. Cup points out that they obviously know about the shady things happening around the circus and are turning a blind eye to it so they can live comfortably, and Ebi starts getting defensive. Mugman suddenly cuts in, revealing that Ebi is a gorgon since mermaids aren't dark creatures and telling her that there are better ways to live her life that they can help her get to if she helps them in return. The women are shocked that Mugman knows the truth about Ebi and demand he tells them how he knows. He explains that it's because he knows a gorgon who is able to live happily in society. Ebi immediately lunges out of the tank and snags Mugs, yelling at him to tell her the gorgon's name. When he tells her it's Cala she rears back saying that Cala Maria is dead which causes Mugman to ask if she really is Cala's sister. Ebi then dives away and hides in the corner of her tank and Spindella steps in, asking what the Cupbros want to know. She confirms that there are more people in the circus forced to be here and tells the Cupbros that hidden in the back of the circus in the supply area is some kind of shady project. Cup thanks her for the information and turns to leave when she stops him, asking what they're going to do. Cup tells her that the end of the circus is coming and, even if they manage to stop the two of them, it won't stop it from happening. He tells her he's sorry and to start making a backup plan like maybe opening up another circus without all the illegal baggage. The Cupbros exit the tent and, after another argument, head to the back of the circus.

The Cupbros begin carefully poking around the various storage tents at the back of the circus until they arrive at the tent they had previously been held captive in. They head back in and locate the cage of dandehogs they noticed before and Mugman decides to take them back to their tent. Cup notices some shadows moving and tries to urge Mugs out of the tent but before they can get out a dark shape drops from the ceiling onto Mugman's head. Cup tries to help but is kicked away and, by the time he gets back up, Mugman has clearly been possessed by the dark top hat on his head. Thrown off by the strange situation and the odd but distinctly familiar way Mugman is now moving Cup tackles him, yelling at the hat to get off of his brother. The possessed Mugman yells that it's actually Black Hat and he needs to talk with Cuphead, but Cup doesn't stop trying to force him off his brother's body until the Demon mentions knowing a way to defeat the Devil. Cup hesitates but then yells at Black Hat that he's lying and asks Hat why he is like this in the first place. Hat explains that his true form has actually been the hat this whole time and the body they regularly see him with is a host body he has been using for centuries. Hat then asks Cuphead to help him reclaim his host body in exchange for telling him how to defeat the Devil. Not wanting to put his brother at risk by pushing Hat too far Cup leans back to listen to Black Hat's explanation. Black Hat, after setting up a silence spell around the tent, explains that he had launched an attack against the Devil a few weeks ago using the collected Angel magic he had in order to go through the Devil's office in the hopes of finding some information. The Demon is just explaining that he found an ancient Dish scroll in the office when one of the dandehogs, who had escaped from the cage when Mugs was possessed, jumps at him. Black Hat fumbles under the attack for a while before Cuphead grabs the angry little creature and tells him to keep going. Black Hat explains that the scroll detailed a very powerful Dish Super called the Lost Super. As he is talking, the dandehog in Cup's hand changed its tufts into thistles, making Cup drop it in painful surprise and allowing it and the other dandehogs to escape the tent. Hat continues his explanation, stating that this powerful light-magic Super was strong enough to almost kill the Devil during the end of the Angel-Demon War, which is what allowed the Angels to capture him and end the war. However, using the Lost Super is guaranteed to be fatal to the user as it burns their soul to power the attack, essentially turning the user's soul into a bomb. Black Hat believes that, if Cuphead were to use this super, he is strong enough to take the Devil down with him, but Cuphead laughs at the idea of using such a thing. Despite Cup scoffing at the idea Hat assures him that he can make the potion for the Super and that the day will come when Cuphead becomes so desperate to save his brother that he will come to Black Hat to obtain it. The Demon even goes so far as to say he'll have it ready as soon as possible and a way into the Devil's throne room prepared. Cuphead wonders what exactly Hat is up to and can't deny some part of him is at least considering it despite the fact that he is highly unlikely to ever actually do it. Still, he agrees to see what he can do about helping Hat get back his body. Hat says he'll be waiting until Cup gets it, but Cuphead tells him that if he's possessing Mugs then he's joining their investigation of the circus. With the promise that Cup will help with his body after they report to the Devil about the circus Black Hat has no choice but to join their cause.

After days of tense travel, the rescue mission has crossed the border and located the city Boris is currently hiding in. They follow the light of Holly's spell to an alleyway off a crowded shopping plaza where they finally catch their first glimpse of Boris before he darts away. Holly hands the spell off to Felix as he and Ozzy take the lead on the chase, the others dropping off one by one as they are unable to keep up. The closer they get to Boris the more reckless and desperate his escape tactics become. At one point, when Felix has cornered him on a rooftop, Boris makes the dangerous leap to another building's roof that is so far away the wolf pup just barely makes it. The chase continues until finally the whole rescue crew, minus Donald, manages to surround Boris on a street near the shopping plaza they started at, though Felix is still running towards the group due to falling behind in the chase. Mickey and Oswald tell Boris that enough is enough and ask the wolf to just talk to them so they can all work together to save the others from the circus, but Boris yells that they don't get it. This seems to be the final straw for Holly, who marches up to Boris and grabs him by the lapels of his shirt. She angrily rants at him, asking him how dare he do something like this when so many of their friends are at risk and proclaiming he was only thinking about himself when he ran away. Holly is also able to slip the compact off of Boris as she talks. Boris seems to be shaken by Holly's words when she lets him go, a look of fear on his face and tears to match hers in his eyes.

In his emotional state Boris turns and darts away into open traffic, horrifying the others. Felix follows him, dodging cars and screaming a warning to Boris when a streetcar is racing towards him. In his desperation to get to Boris, Felix hops the hood of a car but the windshield breaks under his hand, spraying glass into the air. As the traffic screeches to a halt, the others rush up to check on Felix but he still wants to chase after Boris. Holly tells him Boris got on the streetcar so they'll have to wait for the next one which finally convinces Felix to stomp his way to the sidewalk again. Holly helps him remove the glass and bandage up as Felix fumes at having missed Boris and the careless way the wolf was acting. The whole group gets on the next streetcar as it comes around and begin to talk about what their plan is now that they have the compact. Since the spell indicates that Boris is still heading the same way as the compact is pointing they will follow them both to the circus and will come up with a different plan if Boris starts going a different way. Felix glares at the floor and hopes this whole mess turns out alright.

### Chapter 151 - Holiday in Hell

After they finish their meal the Demon twins decide to show Bendy around and explain more of Demon culture to him. They walk through Hell, explaining how it works and why things are the way they are, such as why there is so much violence in Hell, or the title hierarchy in Hell. Eventually, they arrive at the destination that Azazel had in mind, which turns out to be a large public park and a museum. The park is filled with exotic plants and Demons going about their mundane business and enjoying the day. Bendy even sees some kids playing on a playground there. Azazel then leads them to Hell's Museum, introducing it with a flourish as Ava shifts back into her normal form instead of the more "normal" one she had been using. They begin walking through the museum, talking about the history on display there before arriving in the Angel-Demon War section. The siblings begin showing Bendy around the displays, highlighting a set of archangel's wings captured during the war and hung from the ceiling. Bendy's stomach turns at the sight of them, his mind going to Alice and turns to examine the other displays. The whole wing is depressing but informative, though Bendy is uncomfortable with so much anti-Angel material. At the end of the hall are items detailing how the Demons were literally dropped into the pit of Hell after the war. The trio moves past the gruesome exhibit into another room that details the early days of the Demon's life in Hell. There are also stories about early soul contracts and magic trading. Bendy asks about soul contracts and, while Azazel laughs at the question, the two of them explain it to him. Bendy is horrified at the idea of eating souls and denies that he'll ever want one when Ava claims he will change his mind in time. The group continues their tour of the museum, talking as they go. As their conversation turns to Demon lifespans they finally exit the building.

Now back out into the streets of Hell the discussion turns to the topic of the quest. The twins offer to help Bendy with the quest whenever he needs it since doing so would improve their reputations, especially with those on the Surface. Though slightly suspicious and surprised by the offer, Bendy accepts it. Azazel then offers to let Bendy and Ava rest at his place for the night before heading back to the Surface. Bendy doesn't want to stay separate from the Cupbros but the other two point out they wouldn't be safe down in Hell so he agrees. Azazel leads the two of them through the high-class neighbourhood to his house, which seems to be connected to some kind of club/restaurant. A side entrance and an elevator lead them to the guestrooms, which is where Azazel leaves them for the night. Now alone with Ava, Bendy asks her about some pairs of Demons with their tail intertwined that he had seen walking around Hell. Ava offers to explain the topic while helping Bendy get off the tail ring that he has had stuck on him since he came to Hell with the Warners. She begins massaging the barb of his tail to soften it up since all Demons' bodies have a degree of moldability to their bodies thanks to being shapeshifters. As she does so she explains that intertwining tails is a show of trust and love between Demons that is considered only one step below kissing. This is because the tail is one of the most vulnerable parts of their bodies, so trusting that with someone else is incredibly significant. Bendy blushes, asking what her massaging his tail like this means and she begins blushing furiously, defensively saying that it's perfectly innocent as long as no one walks in on them and misunderstands. With his potentially compromising position in mind, Bendy leans back and closes his eyes, quickly finishing the rest of his conversation with Ava before enjoying the rest of the massage in silence. Or he believes he is being silent until Ava snaps at him to stop purring since it's making the whole thing more embarrassing for her. She folds up the sides of his bard, pulling the ring off and tossing it at him. All the while she keeps talking about how embarrassing the whole thing was and demands he never speak of it again. Him trying to apologize to her only makes it worse, so Bendy quickly rushes to hide away in his bedroom for the night. As he collapses on his bed Bendy thinks about how he will be going home soon and that he hopes everyone else is ok.

### Chapter 152 - Carnival Conflicts

Bendy and the Demon twins travel back to the tent but find only an empty tent waiting for them. Azazel tells Bendy he has already sent for food to be brought to the tent and that he'll also send out a message for someone to bring the Cupbros back to the tent as well. Bendy wants to just head back out into the circus, but Ava says that this will also give Bendy a chance to talk with Dr. Facilier, who is being brought to the tent as well. Bendy, not trusting the idea of leaving the boy at the mercy of the other two Demons, reluctantly agrees to stay. It's not long before some of the circus employees come in to drop off food with the Ringleader and Facilier in tow. Once alone with the boy and the Ringleader the Demon twins explain just how serious a situation he is in for kidnapping and trying to kill Bendy. Facilier expects to be killed, but Bendy explains that that's not happening since he vouched for the boy. The kid is obviously shocked as Bendy continues to talk, telling the boy that he is sorry for accidentally killing his mother and that this is a second chance for him to move on with his life since if he comes after Bendy or his loved ones again Bendy won't be so nice. In response, Facilier spits on him, but Bendy waves it off, going to take a seat beside Ava inside while Azazel steps up. As planned, Azazel curses Dr. Facilier so he can never use magic for himself again as well as giving him more chores and forbidding him from performing for a month. The Ringleader then escorts Dr. Facilier out of the tent and Bendy tells the twins he's going to go out into the circus to find the Cupbros and grab Sparks.

As Bendy is walking through the circus he crashes into none other than Boris, who is being chased by one of the clowns for stealing food. Bendy hugs his brother and gets the clown to back off before pulling Boris into one of the empty tents to talk. During their reunion, Bendy immediately notices the sorry state his brother is in, from the lost weight to the frosted fur, and begins asking him what has happened as well as where the others are. The two begin to catch each other up on the basics of what happened to them and Bendy is horrified when he learns he has not been missing a few days like he previously thought but actually two weeks. He also isn't happy to hear that Alice is somewhere in the circus as well, especially with the circus's black market connection. He wants to go right back to Azazel and ask him directly if he's involved in this, but Boris points out it might be better to find Alice first. Bendy asks what the plan is then, and Boris claims he was separated from the others while coming to save them and the Angels. After a brief argument over Boris's reckless behaviour, the wolf suggests going from tent to tent to find the other but Bendy has a different idea and instead leads Boris back to Sparks's cage. They soon find the key on one of the hooks in the tent and free Sparks, who joins their search for the Angels and the Cupbros. As they're looking around they overhear some employees talking about how they've been ordered to bring in the Cupbros by Azazel before sneaking away. The B-Bros then run into Dimitri, who has been playing carnival games with some kids. After hearing the Cupbros are missing she also joins the search, which continues through the circus and back towards the storage tents. While searching through a tent, full of clearly imprisoned magical animals and people, they finally find Cuphead, who is surprised to see the eclectic group. As they're catching up with Cup a female voice calls for help and they rush over to find Cala sitting on the ground in her mermaid form next to a Black Hat possessed Mugman. Bendy is thrown off for a moment until Cup explains the situation, after which he's much busier trying to keep Sparks from attacking Hat and yelling at Hat about his true form. Once they finally calm everyone down Cala explains that she only just got there that day and is drying out her tail so she can get her legs back to help save Alice. Hat also says that if there are truly Angels being held at the circus then the situation is dire since the Angels will destroy the whole place when they discover it without any concern for which of the dark creatures there were actually involved in the plot or not. With that in mind, Cala and Hat say they need to leave immediately after Alice calls the Angels in order to escape their wrath, so Bendy asks if they have any idea where she is. Cup claims he does and, once Cala has her legs, he leads them to the edge of the circus where there is a tent with a suspicious number of employees guarding it. Thanks to Hat and Cuphead they are able to sneak in but find only a tent full of equipment. Still, they begin to hunt around for where Azazel may have hidden the kidnapped Angels.

Meanwhile, the rescue group has arrived at a hill overlooking the circus. Following the compact, they sneak around to the back of the circus where they run into an invisible train. Recognizing it as the way the circus has been moving around without being spotted they try to decide what they should do about it. Feeling her way along, Holly finds the engine and removes three pressure dials so it is impossible to control the engine. With that taken care of, they continue sneaking around the circus until they come across a heavily guarded tent. Using a number of rune bracelets she seemed to have made on the train Holly knocks out the guards and they enter the tent without issue. Inside, they find circus equipment and cages with magical beings locked inside of them. The group searches the area for any signs of the Angels or magic that may have concealed them, but come up with nothing until Donald quite literally runs into a genie named Soboz. While originally on guard Soboz assures them that not only does he mean them no harm but he actually wants them to keep doing what they're doing. He is bound to Azazel until he uses his third wish, but the Demon refuses to do it so he hopes their meddling will force the Demon's hand. Soboz then goes on to explain that he has hidden the Angels with his own magic but he can't give them much more than that to go on without betraying his master. Using a description of what kind of person Azazel is, their knowledge of how genies function, and some deductive reasoning the group eventually discovers a portal in a seemingly empty cage that leads them to where the kidnapped Angels are. They enter and are immediately horrified by the bloody scene before them - clearly injured and abused Angels in cages or strapped to tables, blood and body parts littered around, and unidentifiable substances in jars on shelves. The whole group stands stunned for a moment before Holly rushes forward, calling for Alice. Alice answers her calls, coming up to the bars of one of the cells alongside Cazziel and Polly. She is pale and exhausted but seems to be mostly unharmed, while Cazziel has completely lost one of his arms. While Donald hurries off to grab the Angels' confiscated halos, at least those that hadn't been destroyed by the experiments performed on them, Felix begins to inspect the cage Alice is being held in. He looks over the Demon script runes cut into the bars before using his journal notes and consulting with Holly to figure out how to change the runes to weaken them enough that Alice can force her way out without causing the whole spell to backfire. Holly then begins altering the runes with a piece of chalk and magically heating the bars to physically alter them. Meanwhile, Felix helps Donald pass the halos out to the captured Angels, including Alice, while the circus brothers check on the Angels strapped to the tables. Finally, Holly finishes her alterations on the cage. Despite the potential danger of magical blowback Felix tells Alice to give it her best shot at forcing her way out. As her magic lights up in front of her hands Felix thinks that it all comes down to Alice now.

### Chapter 153 - Cutting Ties

Alice successfully forces the cell door open, though she almost falls over from the effort of it, and happily reunites with her friends. As she tries to ignore the memory of the horrors she's seen in the one day there she tells the others that she has to get out to call the Angels immediately. The others move to start helping her out, but the other Angels protest being left in the cages. Unfortunately, Alice doesn't have the strength to break them all out so they must stay locked up until reinforcements can arrive. They help Alice and the Angels who were caged with her out of the portal but are quickly put on guard again when they hear a noise from the other side of the tent. Thankfully, it turns out to be Bendy's group who is just as surprised to see them as they are. The two groups reunite with one another, though Alice flinches away from Bendy due to her recent bad experience with Demons. All of them soon have to put the happy reunion aside however since they still need to handle the current situation. Boris points out that they still have the issue of the Angels slaughtering all the innocent dark creatures if summoned to the circus, though the captured Angels argue that that doesn't matter since they believe everyone there was a part of it. An argument erupts, almost overwhelming Alice until she focuses in on Cuphead's calm emotions as he tells her to climb on his back so he can carry her. Once Alice is situated on his back Cup breaks through the argument, telling the group that he has a contact who can call the Devil so that he can be there to defend the dark creatures while the Angels protect the kidnapped Angels. Some of the captured Angels call him crazy but Cup ignores them, instead telling Cala to go find her sister and escape. He then tells Black Hat and Felix to come with him to call the Angels and The Devil while the others will stay behind to protect the captured Angels in case the Demons try to come to kill them in order to hide the evidence of their atrocities. Sparks also decides to come with them and, with the plan set, Cup's team exits the tent.

The call team begins to sneak through the circus, with Black Hat using his magic to cover Alice and Sparks's presence from the dark creatures. They eventually reach the edge of the circus where Felix has to maneuver them around the invisible train so they can reach the nearby tree line. After they have found a small clearing hidden away in the trees Cuphead lets Alice down so she can call the Upper. Sparks helps her by lending her some of his magical energy as she begins to draw out the runes in the air. Cup and Hat are about to head off further into the woods to call the Devil, but Felix first makes a point of telling Hat that he can't just randomly take the boys anymore since the kidnappers were able to use that as cover, but Hat isn't keen on listening to his protests. Cuphead cuts between the two of them before a serious argument can break out and drags Black Hat off into the trees. Meanwhile, Alice finishes her circle of runes and activates them, connecting her directly to one of the Angels in the Upper. The Angel is shocked at her appearance but Alice wastes no time in demanding he call the Council and the warrior Angels immediately so they can be sent to her location. The Angel on the other end of the line scrambles to obey her orders as Alice's strength gives out and the connection shatters. Alice tells Felix that the Angels should be able to use her message to locate the circus and will most likely arrive in ten to fifteen minutes. A couple of minutes later Cuphead and Hat emerge from the trees and tell them that the Devil will be there in a few minutes. As Hat idly wonders if this incident will spark another Angel-Demon War, Alice's head spins and she falls over. Felix catches her and tells the others that they should bring her out of the cold and back into the circus to rest.

Bendy impatiently waits around the cage leading to the imprisoned Angels, watching Holly wander around the area writing on various objects and worrying about the others. Dimitri wanders up to him and Boris, asking if they want to help her patch up some of the Angels. Knowing they probably wouldn't want him nearby Bendy tells Boris to go while he stays on guard there, which the wolf eventually agrees to once Dimitri assures him he'll be able to see Bendy the whole time. Before she heads off Dimitri tells Bendy not to beat himself up too much since he couldn't have known about the captured Angels, but Bendy still feels bad for playing around with the Demon twins. With the others busy with the captured Angels, Bendy approaches Holly and asks if she wants a hand setting up her runes. She accepts his offer and the two of them set up a magical circle to create a protective barrier around the cage. Holly also shows Bendy that she has a can of pepper spray filled with holy water. While they work, Bendy asks if there's anything Holly wants to talk about and she says she should be asking him that before going on to explain that she's trying to keep to herself for the time being in order to not start a fight. Before they can continue with that line of discussion Boris comes over and Holly quickly excuses herself to go search the tent for supplies. Boris tells Bendy that Holly hates him now, but when Bendy asks what Boris could have done that was so bad his brother refuses to elaborate. Worried and angry at being left in the dark Bendy points out that Boris also isn't talking about his not eating again and demands to know if Boris would have just starved himself to death if they hadn't found Bendy. Boris snaps back that he was worried about Bendy being gone so long, and then when he does finally find him he's fine, which causes the captured Angels to cut in with yells about how of course a Demon like him is fine. One of the Angels has a breakdown, accusing Bendy of having fun with his "Demon friends" while they were being tortured. The others defend Bendy but Dimitri still tells Bendy that he should wait somewhere out of sight from the Angels. Boris isn't happy with the idea, but Bendy tells him that the Angels are half-right since he was messing around with the Demon twins and ignoring their violence. As they get out of sight of the others Boris demands to know why Bendy isn't defending himself and is shocked when his brother admits that he kind of understands where the Demons are coming from. When Boris says that Bendy isn't like them Bendy snaps, yelling that he's a Demon too, he enjoyed hanging out with Ava and Azazel, and accusing Boris of never truly accepting or listening to him, especially when it comes to the subject of his potential death. The argument becomes too much for Boris and he runs out of the tent, ignoring Bendy calling after him.

Bendy heads back to the others to tell them Boris is gone, but quickly becomes furious when they let it slip this has happened before. He wants to go after Boris but the Angels don't want him to leave since he's their best chance of fighting off the Demon twins if they come for them. Bendy gets even angrier at them asking him to not go after his brother, but Cazziel steps up to calmly explains that, while yes it is Bendy's choice whether he stays or goes. if he leaves and the twins show up all of them will be killed. Mickey also offers to go after Boris and keep him safe. Though he still wants to chase after his brother himself Bendy accepts Mickey's offer, allowing Mickey and Dimitri to rush out of the tent after Boris. Bendy gets back out of sight of the Angels and begins angrily pacing until Holly approaches him to ask if he wants to talk. He says talking isn't going to help and Holly apologies. Once again, Bendy asks what happened while he was gone but Holly does want to talk about it. Both of their frustration with each other and the situation start to rise until Holly finally breaks and tells Bendy how Boris ran away with the compact. Bendy tries to defend Boris but Holly continues to argue, asking whether all the sacrifices all of their friends, such as Alice, have made mean nothing. They then begin arguing about how reckless the rescue plan was before shouting about the B-Bro's apparent lack of trust in their friends. This culminates in Bendy yelling that Holly should just leave the group entirely once this is over. Holly flinches back at that before going cold and saying she will before walking back towards the Angels. Bendy is left standing and stewing in his anger, thinking about how he managed to so severely damage both his relationship with Boris and Holly in such a short amount of time. His brooding is interrupted by Azazel's voice behind him. Bendy whips around to find Azazel standing there grinning at him.

### Chapter 154 - A Desperate Defense

Boris runs through the circus crying and wondering how Bendy could say those things. He thinks about his history with his brother and how Bendy seems to be slowly pulled away from him by other people. He stops running and begins to collect himself, deciding to take a moment to breathe and grabs some food for himself and Bendy before heading back. Just as he makes the decision Mickey and Dimitri catch up with him. They tell Boris that they should go back to the others but Boris says he still wants to grab some food and they reluctantly agree since it should be fast. Mickey tries to tell him that he needs to stop running off like that since it's dangerous, but Boris refuses to answer, thinking that Bendy deserves to be worried after talking about such horrible things to Boris. As they buy food, Boris thinks that he's been feeling odd, almost sickly, since he got to the circus and pulls up his hood to escape the cold. After completing their purchase they begin walking through the circus when one of the workers calls out that Boris looks sick and they should head to the medical tent. Now aware of his condition, Mickey and Dimitri pull Boris away somewhere more private to check up on him. When Dimitri pushes his hood back they are all shocked to see that Boris has fallen prey to the Ringleader's curse and is beginning to turn into a donkey. They quickly cover him up and start heading back to the tent where the others are but circus workers keep watching/approaching them to tell them to head to the med tent. They're still managing to make good headway until the smell of popcorn suddenly overwhelms Boris and Dimitri's senses, making it impossible for them to smell the trail back to the tent. Moments later the Ringleader, with Dr. Facilier and Paddywhack in tow, approaches the group. The trio tries to make excuses to get away, first claiming that they are already heading to the medical tent before switching their story to claim that Dimitri is already taking them to Ava, but the circus employees aren't letting them out of their sight. Backed into a corner, Mickey draws his sword and jumps into a fight with the circus employees. Dimitri is close behind and they both tell Boris to run for it. Despite the bad situation, seeing as Mickey gets his prosthetic leg ripped off within moments of the fight starting, Boris listens and runs for it but is quickly captured by a rope around his neck via the Ringleader's magic. With Boris as a hostage, Mickey and Dimitri are forced to surrender and are quickly restrained. The Ringleader then announces they're all going to see Ava and forces the trio to begin walking.

Meanwhile, Cuphead and his group sneak out of the woods and back into the circus. The whole way there Cuphead internally fumes about the Devil not immediately coming to the circus once he heard the situation. Once they arrive back in the circus they duck into the first empty tent they can and discuss whether they should leave Alice hidden there or not. Unfortunately, their conversation is quickly interrupted by the sound of Ava calling for Cuphead and Hat outside and threatening to start burning things if they don't come out. Knowing it's not a bluff, the group leaves Alice and Sparks in the tent while they go out to meet Ava. The moment she spots them Ava attacks and they're quickly in an all-out fight. They're holding their own, but after Cuphead gets a bad arm injury from a combination of Ava's teeth and fires, Black Hat steps in to handle the battle himself. Hat tells Cup and Felix to go save Bendy while he handles Ava. Despite Ava's attempts to prevent them from leaving with her flames, Hat's magic overpowers her and the two are able to escape. As he rushes back to the tent where the others are Cup curses the situation and the fact that he has no choice but to trust Hat to protect both Alice and his brother's body.

Elsewhere, Bendy is confronting Azazel about what the hell he was thinking doing something like this. Azazel explains that he was trying to find new poisons and weapons to use against Angels when another war breaks out, which he believes to be inevitable. He goes on to point out just how cruel a situation Hell is for the Demons, and claims that he will happily kill hundreds if it means saving thousands later. During his speech, Bendy finally puts together that the circus is a recruitment ground for a dark army. Azazel confirms it before going into his plans to make multiple circuses to recruit even more loyal dark creatures by ruling them through love instead of fear. He then asks Bendy to join him so they can save the Demon race together. Immediately, Bendy denies the offer but Azazel keeps pushing, pointing out all the hardships Bendy has had to suffer for the crime of being a Demon on the Surface. Bendy allows himself to imagine a world without those hardships for a moment before rejecting Azazel's offer once again. Azazel says that that's too bad and that Ava in particular will be upset that he has to kill Bendy now. Bendy prepares to fight and calls out a warning to the others as Azazel breaks the protective barrier Holly had set up around the area. Bendy and Azazel begin fighting and the others soon join in. Holly is able to set off another rune barrier trap which gives them just enough time to herd the Angels back through the portal before Azazel shatters it. As he fights, Azazel’s form has shifted to be much more monstrous in appearance. The battle soon also moves through the portal as Cazziel joins the fight. While they are just barely holding their own against Azazel, Cazziel gets captured by the enraged Demon and eaten by him while the others are powerless to save the Fallen Angel. As Azazel begins monologuing, talking about how pathetic they all are compared to him, screams erupt around the tent and something in Bendy snaps. Bendy drops to all fours, growling like an animal and using his shadow magic to begin tearing into Azazel. The two Demons begin moving across the floor in a violent, twisting whirlwind as the shadows around the tent begin to go crazy. Bendy begins injuring Azazel and the other Demon states that Bendy is close to triggering a rampage. Just as he finally gets Bendy pinned Felix and Cuphead appear and block Azazel’s attacks. Cup smugly informs Azazel that he “tattled” on him, which only makes Azazel angrier. As Cuphead and Azazel are talking the Ringleader’s group comes in, causing Bendy to jump the man the instant he sees him holding a rope wrapped around Boris’s throat. Still mad with rage, Bendy turns to lunge at Facilier just as a blinding light fills the room.

### Chapter 155 - Angel Intervention

A legion of Angels burst through the roof of the tent and quickly restrain all the Demons/circus employees. A few Angels even bring Ava and Black Hat to the tent to drop them off with the other Demons. A four-winged Angel named Isaac quickly takes over the scene, delegating jobs to the other Angels and putting the entire circus on lockdown. As the questers all begin to regroup with their various scattered members, including Alice, some Angels come up to them to help heal their various wounds. Alice rushes over to Isaac and the Angel who appears to be the second in command, Michael, both of whom she knows. She tries to speak with them but they push her off to go get healed first before they talk. Boris is upset that they've separated him from Bendy, and worries the Angels will hurt him. While Felix and Alice help calm Boris down Cuphead takes a moment to look over the state of the captured Demons and the Angels' various tasks that they are busy with. An Angel comes up to give Isaac a report and they learn of the donkey curse on the circus. Isaac brings the Ringleader forward and, when he refuses to release the curse, places the Ringleader as well as all of his accomplices under arrest. Michael then states that the circus will be destroyed, but Cuphead and Felix speak up in defense of the various dark creatures who call the circus their home. While some Angels dismiss them, Isaac says he will keep what they have said in mind. The rescue efforts continue until another Angel reports that there are some dark creatures and "half-breeds" mixed in with the Surface people, which Felix recognizes as actually being families. When he steps up to oppose them being separated Felix ends up in a split-second standoff with Michael before the two of them get into an argument about whether dark creatures are people. Just as Cup joins the argument Isaac pulls Michael back and once again tells them that he will keep what they said in mind. Felix and Cup head to Ozzy and Donald to talk about the situation, explaining the current issue of the Angels potentially killing all the dark creatures present. Boris pops up to join the conversation as they discuss what they can possibly do to stop this slaughter. The group is so busy talking that they almost don't notice the Angels about to execute all the Demons for violating the Treaty. Cup calls Alice over the situation as multiple people jump in to stop the Angels, who are getting very tired of these interruptions. While Michael brushes off many of the other's reasons for not killing Bendy/Black Hat he is stopped dead in his tracks when Alice storms up to him. Isaac, who turns out to Alice's brother, and Michael are both baffled by her strong defense of the Demons and they all become further stumped when Cuphead comes forward to point out that Black Hat is possessing his brother's body so they can't just kill him. This leads to a whole argument about what should be done with the various Demons. Before a decision can be reached the whole room darkens and chills as a dark hole opens in the floor of the tent.

Out of the hole climbs the Devil and King Dice along with the Demons Asmodeus, Anzu and Stolas. The Angels are immediately put on edge as the Devil says he's there to look into the circus incident personally. Michael tries to argue that there is no reason for the Devil to be there but the Devil easily dismisses his arguments. The Demons ask Paddywhack what the purpose of this whole mess was and he easily states that it was to find new weapons to use against Angels in a future war. While others are horrified at the casual explanation the other Demons are unfazed. Instead, they point out that just killing the twins wouldn't be the smartest move since they will just become martyrs that will serve as inspiration for other Demons that want war. The Devil points out how many of the Surface people in the tent already disagree with what the Angels are planning and will likely spread the story in an unfavourable light for the Angels. Add that to the fact that Bendy is very popular and was actively trying to defend the Angels and things don't look very good from an outside perspective. They even point out that Boris is right there and the Questers grow tense as the Devil begins asking Boris if he thinks Bendy should be killed. Boris defends his brother but the questioning quickly becomes too much for the pup so Cuphead steps up to pull Boris away and tell the Devil to lay off. Instead, the Demons suggest trapping the twins in personalized, torturous scenarios. Some of the Angels continue to argue with the Demons that this isn't good enough, and Isaac states they may have to call in the Angel judges. The Demons aren't thrilled about the possibility of dealing with the judges and continue to push their imprisonment idea by promising to keep the Angels updated the whole time and explaining the sentence would last as long as it took for the twins to break. The Devil also orders that all of their territories would be revoked and all of Azazel's debtors will be freed, which is the first thing that has actually upset Azazel so far. Quickly shutting down any of Azazel's protests the Devil continues by saying that both of their titles will be revoked and they will be forced to re-apprentice under their old mentors- for Ava it is Anzu and for Azazel it is Asmodeus. Michael still protests this plan of action, but Isaac points out that this situation is very complicated and they have to handle it far more delicately than they would the individual Demon rampages they usually handle. As Michael continues to argue the Demons pipe up, pointing out that handling this his way could cause a lot of problems for the Angels down the line and that there is even a famous author present to spread the story. For a moment it seems as though a fight will break out until Alice staggers forward to Isaac and begs her brother not to create any more bloodshed that night.

Issac listens to her plea and declares that the judges will be called and the Demon twins will be jailed until they are officially sentenced. Meanwhile, Bendy, the other Demons, and the rest of the circus employees will all undergo an investigation to decide what punishment, if any, they will have. As the Demons besides the twins are released Black Hat asks the Devil if this redeems him. While the Devil says it doesn't he still gives Hat back his original host body. After he is released Mugman sways on his feet and Black Hat warns him that he will have some magical sickness for the next few days due to the incompatibility of their magic. Bendy and Boris reunite with a hug but the Angels quickly attempt to separate them again by saying that Boris should be brought to the Upper to fix the donkey curse while Bendy should be locked up until trial. Cuphead snaps at them to leave the boys alone and Felix tells the Angels to just relocate them for the time being until everything is figured out. Isaac says they will be moved to the nearest town to wait, and the questers are relieved to finally have the whole mess over with.

## Trivia and Notes

### Notes

* The events in the first 3 chapters of this book in Tinsel Town are based on the 1997 animated movie *Cats Don't Dance*

## Links and References

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